The aircraft, worth 91 million US dollars, was manufactured by the Boeing factory in the United States, with the aircraft dimension reaching 38 meters in length with a wingspan of 35.79 meters.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The new Boeing Business Jet 2 Green 737-800 for Presidential aircraft use is reported to have arrived at the Halim Perdana Kusuma airport, Jakarta.

The aircraft, worth 91 million US dollars, was manufactured by the Boeing factory in the United States, with the aircraft dimension reaching 38 meters in length with a wingspan of 35.79 meters.

The newly arrived presidential aircraft is painted in blue for the purpose of sky camouflage while in the air, stated the Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi, here on Thursday.

Sudi explained that there were 14 alternative color choices available during the manufacturing process, but the cabinet secretariat chose blue for the new presidential aircraft.

Before deciding on the new color, the Cabinet Secretariat had also invited a number of experts including the aero designer from the Indonesian Air Force.

Sudi also pointed out that the blue color on the presidential plane was similar to the Indonesian Air Forces pride color that operates the aircraft.

The new presidential plane will soon be certified by the Ministry of Transportation before going into operation fully.

"It (the aircraft) will undergo several airworthy tests next week," Sudi confirmed.

This new presidential aircraft will mostly be used by the next elected president, after the 2014 presidential election results.

Sudi added that the aircraft procurement from Boeing was transparent and accountable as it involves many parties including the Indonesian Supreme Audit Agency (BPK).

The plane arrived in Jakarta after a four-day trip from Delaware, Wellington, Sacramento and Honolulu in the United States. The last stop before heading to Halim Perdanakusumah air base in Jakarta was Guam, a US military base island in the Pacific.

The Government has commissioned the air squadrons 17 of Halim Perdanakusumah air base as the presidential aircraft operators. The squadron had previously been in charge of managing the President and Vice-President VIP trips using the Fokker, Hercules, and the Boeing 737-200 aircrafts. (*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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