Dirgantara, GMF renew maintenance deal

JAKARTA: State-owned aircraft producer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (DI) and PT GMF AeroAsia, renewed their agreement for aircraft maintenance recently.

The new agreement was signed Thursday by Dirgantara president director Budi Santoso and GMF president director and CEO Richard Budihadianto, in Bandung.

Both companies announced the new agreement in a joint media statement sent Thursday.

Replacing a 2003 agreement, the new agreement will be valid for three years and covers general maintenance, parts and components, tools and equipment, testing and laboratory services and engineering services.

The new agreement also deals with marketing, repairs, modifications, aircraft, components and systems overhaul, spare parts procurement, manufacturing services, IT, training and the utilization of facilities and other capabilities.

Richard said local repairs and overhaul firms only absorbed around 30 percent of the total domestic aircraft maintenance spending - worth US$750 million in 2009. He expected this market to expand to around $2 billion by 2014.

Budi said Dirgantara had plenty of facilities that could be used by GMF, including a surface treatment facility certified by the National Aerospace and Defense Contractor Program, which could reduce GMF's dependence on foreign parties. - JP

First published on The Jakarta Post on Saturday, April 3, 2010