REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- State-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) is set to launch its newest CN-245 plane next year.  

The company is still in the process of designing the plane, which is the derivative of CN-235 plane, PT DI President Director Budi Santoso said here on Tuesday. "It is still being designed. God willing, we will start (producing it). It is the derivative of CN-235 plane. Hence, it is not a new plane because 80 percent of its components are same as those of CN-235 and 295. We hope it can fly in 2018," he added.

Budi stated that the manufacture of CN-245 could be completed in 2018 because it was not as difficult as that of CN-219. "(The components of) CN-219 are all new. For CN-245, we will just produce its tail, while the other components are the same. Likewise, its certificate is also the same as that of CN-235," he remarked.

He pointed out that the company was in the process of applying for a certificate for CN-245 by cooperating with an aircraft manufacturer based in Toulouse, France. "If we are to certify our product with EASA or the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by directly applying for it, then we would get the last turn," he added.

Airbus has expressed its support for the production of CN-245 because it would complement to its previous series, VN-235 and CN-295, he stated. "God willing, the (certification) process will run quickly because it is not a new plane and nearly 80 percent of its components are already in place," he pointed out. "The idea and design of CN-245 are purely that of Indonesians'," he said.

CN-245 is a light plane developed with a capacity of carrying 30-50 people, he added.

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