Bandung- BPMIGAS and PT Dirgantara Indonesia are signed an agreement in order to optimize the use of aircrafts and helicopters in the national upstream oil and gas industry. This agreement is a commitment from BPMIGAS in order to increase in the use of national component. It is signed by the Head of BPMIGAS, R. Priyono and the Director of PT DI, Budi Santoso, and witnessed by the Minister of Transportation, Jusman S. Djamal in PTDI Management Center Building, Bandung (3 / 7).

In his speech, the Head of BPMIGAS, R. Priyono said that the wish of BPMIGAS to asking PTDI is a result from the meeting of land and air transportation, and heavy equipment which is held by BPMIGAS, Transportation Department, PTDI, Depperin and PSC’s on 27-29 May 2009 in Bandung. The decision from the meeting is to maximize the use of local content is the upstream oil and gas industry, to reduce the dependence of Indonesia related to the use of international air transportation services, which of course it can increase the state income.

"During the year of 2008, the flight activities for the upstream oil and gas operation are more than 20,000 hours in which some of 51% using a helicopter (rotary wing) and 49% using an aircraft (fixed wing) and the total average of passenger is 30,237 number of passengers. “We can imagine, how much income can be generated if we use the local content”. Priyono said in his explanation about the benefit from the role of local air transportation service in the upstream oil and gas industry.

Meanwhile, the Director of PTDI, Budi Santoso said that PTDI as the national industry which produce the aircraft and helicopter, and also has the ability and sufficient facilities, need to get the first priority to meet the need of air transportation in the upstream oil and gas industry. PTDI is ready to support the operational needs of BPMIGAS and to help the worker’s mobility in the upstream oil and gas industry sector, in accordance with the expansion of exploration in the land (onshore) and offshore.

This cooperation is a form of BPMIGAS’s commitment in order to increase the local content in the upstream oil and gas industry, and it is expected to encourage the national industry to compete and achieve the equivalent with the foreign industry.