Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto said Wednesday that Jakarta’s decision to acquire dozens of jets from the American aircraft manufacturer Boeing was necessary to expand flag carrier Garuda Indonesia’s fleet.

US President Donald Trump recently announced that Indonesia had agreed to buy 50 Boeing jets. Many of them will be the 777 type, a long-range wide-body airliner that already has over 1,300 units operating globally. The plane purchase is part of the trade agreement that sees Trump lowering his reciprocal tariffs from 32 percent to 19 percent on Indonesian goods.

Prabowo -- who had just come home from a weeks-long overseas trip -- said that Garuda needed to upgrade its fleet with new planes.

“Garuda is our pride and national flag carrier. It was born amid our war of independence. That’s why Garuda must be the symbol of our country,” Prabowo told the press in Jakarta, shortly after landing.

“I’m determined to grow Garuda. That’s why we need to acquire new planes. I don’t see any problem with it. We do need the planes, and they are willing to sell some. Boeing jets are pretty good, and we are still using Airbus planes. So this is where our interests meet,” Prabowo said. 

State-Owned Enterprise Minister Erick Thohir revealed last week that Garuda had plans to buy 79 Boeing aircraft as part of Jakarta’s negotiation strategy with the Trump government. According to local media reports, Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said he did not mind where Garuda bought its aircraft from --whether it is from Boeing, its Chinese counterpart Comac, or Europe’s Airbus -- as long as they meet the safety requirements.

Garuda Indonesia, which operates the low-cost carrier Citilink, recently secured a shareholder loan of around $405 million from the sovereign fund Danantara. The money will go into maintenance, repair, as well as improving the fleet’s operations. The loan is also part of a $1 billion financial support package. Like the other government-run businesses, Garuda Indonesia is now under Danantara’s wings. 

Trump first announced Indonesia’s Boeing purchase in what he called a “landmark deal” on the Truth Social platform on Tuesday, Washington time. The American business tycoon did not disclose the value of the aircraft purchase.

“As part of the agreement, Indonesia has committed to purchasing $15 billion in US energy, $4.5 billion in American agricultural products, and 50 Boeing jets, many of them 777s,” Trump wrote.

According to Garuda's official website, the carrier currently operates 77 aircraft, including eight Boeing 777-300ERs, 45 Boeing 737-800NGs, and 24 Airbus planes. The average fleet age for Garuda Indonesia stands at 13.06 years.

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