Prabowo: Buying Boeing Aircraft To Increase Garuda Indonesia

Presiden Prabowo Subianto memberikan keterangan pers di Pangkalan TNI AU Halim Perdanakusuma, Jakarta, Rabu (16/7/2025). (ANTARA/Mentari Dwi Gayati)

JAKARTA - President Prabowo Subianto stated that the commitment to purchasing Boeing aircraft is part of the government's efforts to strengthen Garuda Indonesia's position as a national airline.

The commitment to purchase the Boeing aircraft is one of the agreements resulting from negotiations between President Prabowo and United States President Donald Trump regarding import rates.

"Indeed, we need (Boeing aircraft) to raise Garuda, Garuda is our pride," Prabowo said while giving a press statement at Halim Perdanakusuma, Jakarta, Wednesday, July 16, as reported by ANTARA.

President Prabowo assessed that Garuda Indonesia has a symbolic role as the bearer of the nation's identity which was born during the struggle for independence.

Therefore, Prabowo assessed that it was important to strengthen the Garuda Indonesia airline fleet through the procurement of new aircraft.

"So, Garuda must be the symbol of Indonesia. We are determined, I am determined to raise Garuda and for that, we need new planes," said the President.

According to the Head of State, Indonesia's need for new aircraft is in line with the offer given by Boeing.

"I don't think there is a problem because we need it, they want to sell it. The Boeing plane is also quite good, we also stay from Airbus," said Prabowo.

In addition, Prabowo emphasized that Indonesia also still needs various imported products from the US, such as fuel oil, gas, to wheat and soybeans.

"So, finally there was a meeting of two interests, we also need an example that we are still importing fuel, we are still importing gas, we still need to import wheat, we still need to import soybeans and so on. So finally we can get a meeting point," said Prabowo.

It is known, United States President Donald Trump stated that the import rate of 19 percent will be applied to Indonesian products entering the US, based on direct negotiations he made with President Prabowo.

The new value shows that an agreement has been reached to reduce US import rates for Indonesian products from the 32 percent mark first announced by Trump in April.

Trump said that Indonesia promised to waive all tariff barriers and non-tariffs for US products entering the Republic of Indonesia.

If there are products from third countries with higher rates that will be exported to the US through Indonesia, the 19 percent tariff will be added to the product, Trump said.

"In addition to setting tariff rates, the agreed between Trump and Prabowo also includes Indonesia's commitment to buy energy from the US for 15 billion US dollars and agricultural products worth 4.5 billion US dollars," said the US President.

Trump also mentioned that Indonesia's commitment to buy 50 new Boeing aircraft, most of which are Boeing 777, but it is not specified which airline or party will buy the plane.

"This important agreement opens the entire Indonesian market to the United States for the first time in history," Trump said.