In a sign of improving confidence in Indonesia’s airline business, US aircraft manufacturer Boeing announced on Tuesday a new alliance to help boost the country’s aviation sector.  Boeing and the government announced that they will cooperate on commercial aviation safety and aerospace industry development in Indonesia.  This enhanced cooperation will support Indonesia’s plans economic development and grow the country’s aerospace sector, Boeing said in a statement on Tuesday. 

In November last year, Jakarta-based Lion Air placed an order for 230 Boeing aircraft at a list price totaling $22.4 billion in a Bali ceremony witnessed by US President Barack Obama. Dudi Sudibyo, a senior editor at Angkasa magazine who has been reporting on the aviation industry for more than 35 years, said the deal would benefit Indonesia, where the sector has been hampered by a lack of skilled labor.  Even with the cooperation, Dudi said, Indonesia’s aviation companies would continue to lack the expertise to compete with peers in the region, including carriers Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways International.  “We are lacking pilots, engineers, technicians, you name it,” Dudi said. “That’s because aviation schools here are limited, so we have to send students abroad. It would be good if we could bring trainers here.”

The agreement lays out several areas where Boeing will engage with Indonesia’s ministries of transportation and education, Directorate General of Civil Aviation and commercial airlines. Boeing will work with Indonesian airlines, airports and regulatory agencies to support air traffic management initiatives focused on enhancing safety, capacity and efficiency. 

Read the Jakarta Globe article (26 September 2012)