Indonesian state-owned carrier Merpati Nusantara has signed an order for 15 Xian MA60s, the biggest export order yet for the Chinese-built turboprop, writes Leithen Francis.
Merpati’s president director Hotasi Nababan signed the order for the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127-powered aircraft last week in Beijing during a high-level visit to the Chinese capital by Indonesia’s deputy president and minister for state enterprises, says a source in Merpati’s Jakarta headquarters. The deal will be financed by China’s export agency, says the source.
Deliveries will run from November this year through to the end of 2007. The 60-seaters will eventually replace the airline’s ageing Fokker F27s and Indonesian-built CASA CN-235s and will be based on Indonesia’s main islands and be used for short-haul services.
Meanwhile, Merpati recently acquired a Boeing 737-300 and is finalising deals for four more 737s – two -400s and two -500s. The airline eventually wants to acquire around 15 737 Classics to enable it to phase out its 11 737-200s.
Source: Flight International
