@BillGates: Former president wish to continue his airplane project after it was shut down in 1998 due to economic crisis following 1997-1998 monetary crisis in Asia. The former Indonesian president BJ Habibie mentioned it in an interview this afternoon at Metro TV. It is the N-250, an airplane prototype with two propeller engines able to carry 100 passengers, and so far has run flight test 900 times to accomply with FAA requirements of 1600 flight tests, take-offs and landings, before the project was stopped.
PT Dirgantara Indonesia is the company produces the N-250. Formerly the company hired 16000 employees, now only 3000 with some 800 of them engineers from famous university abroad. Thousands of the engineers formerly worked there are now working abroad.
The company has also produced previous models of airplanes, C-220 and CN-235, whereas the C is from Casa, a Spain aircraft company. Some helicopters have also been produced under-license at PT Dirgantara Indonesia like Puma and MBB-105, also some airplane parts ordered by Boeing and Airbus.
Former president BJ Habibie previously worked at German airplane industry Messerschmidt Bolkow Blohm before returning to Indonesia to become minister of science, research and technology, then turning vice-president and later on president during 1998-1999.
To continue the N-250 project he will require US $ 500 million.

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