REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono took a maiden flight aboard the new presidential aircraft, the Boeing Business Jet 2, on his visit to Bali, on Monday.
"I cannot yet answer about how it feels to fly aboard the new aircraft. But, I am grateful that I can fly onboard the presidential aircraft during the last six months of my term. It can also help to save the state budget," Yudhoyono claimed here on Monday.
The Indonesian President took the flight to Bali from the Halim Perdanakusuma Airport after meeting Brunei Darussalam Crown Prince Haji Al Muhtadee Bilah in the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta.
The presidential aircraft, which was manufactured by the Boeing Company in the United States and received by the government on April 10, 2014, belongs to the state.
Before the arrival of the aircraft, several ex-presidents before Yudhoyono used a rental air plane from Garuda Indonesia Airways.
The Boeing Company took five years to build the aircraft. It is 38 meters long with a wingspan of 35.79 meters and is 12.5 meters in height. Boeing has installed the CFM 56-7 engine in its wings.
The aircraft offers four VVIP meeting rooms and two statesman rooms along with 12 executive areas and 44 staff areas.
The maximum capacity of the aircraft is 67 passengers. The government bought the aircraft for Rp847 billion.
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