ADF STAFF
Indonesian Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi and his Guinean counterpart Felix Lamah have signed a letter of intent, the first step in the two countries’ commitment to explore cooperation in the aviation sector. It is an unusual proposition, as the two countries are 13,700 kilometers apart.
The initial idea for the cooperation came in September 2022, according to aerospace newsletter The Bulletin. Guinea acknowledged its need to modernize its commercial and transport sector and expressed interest in cooperating with Indonesia.
In a written statement, the Indonesian transport minister said that after receiving the Guinean transport minister in Jakarta, “We are open to this opportunity and ready to cooperate with the Guinean government,” The Bulletin reported.
Guinea’s President Mamadi Doumbouya wants to create a national airline, Guinea Air. This would replace the failed project of private Guinea Airlines, which launched in 2017. It was canceled in 2021 because of the poor condition of Guinea’s airfields and disputes between the main shareholders.
Guinea wants to use aircraft made by state-owned PT Dirgantara Indonesia. The Bulletin reported that Guinea would like at least 13 of the civil version of the CN-235 aircraft to operate more than 80 routes in Guinea and West Africa.
The CN-235 has been produced under license by the Indonesian facility since 2011 via an industrial collaboration with Spanish CASA, later integrated into Airbus Defence & Space.
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