Indonesian state airport operator, Angkasa Pura I (AP I), is going to cooperate with U.S. aerospace giant Boeing to build maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities in Indonesia in the near future, local media reported here on Wedneday.
AP I corporate secretary Miduk Situmorang said the firms planned to construct the MRO facilities at Lombok International Airport in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara and Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar, South Sulawesi.
"Both airports are in strategic locations and Makassar is the aviation hub in the eastern part of Indonesia. The feasibility study is currently being carried out and we expect to finish it this year," Miduk was quoted by the Jakarta Post as saying.
"We hope we can sign a memorandum of understanding with Boeing in the end of 2012," he said.
The secretary said that AP I planned to clear a 500-hectare plot of land in each location to provide adequate space for the facilities.
If everything goes according to plan, the construction of the aircraft maintenance centers could begin in the first half of 2013.
"The aviation industry in our country is getting stronger, making the MRO business more promising every year. We see huge potential for Boeing maintenance here because a lot of airlines, including in Indonesia, use these (Boeing) aircraft," he added.
In addition, he said that the joint MRO plan was part of Boeing 's offset programs for Indonesia, that were previously announced by Indonesian Ambassador to the United States Dino Patti Djalal at the Transportation Ministry in May.
Dino said the U.S.-based company was committed to providing offset programs, a common industrial compensation practice, for both civil and military programs.
Xinhua.com
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