Finland supports aviation safety in Indonesia, while also opening opportunities for Finnish technology

Finland is delivering weather and aviation safety systems to Indonesia in a project that improves the safety of the country’s aviation operations by strengthening aviation meteorological services. The project will be carried out by Vaisala Plc together with the Finnish Meteorological Institute. Vaisala’s main production site is in Vantaa, Finland.

Finland is supporting the project with EUR 14.4 million, granted from the development cooperation appropriations. The funding includes a grant element from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and coverage of loan interest costs. Indonesia is funding the remainder of the project. The total value of the project is approximately EUR 24.6 million.

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio sees the project as an example of a solution that supports developing countries while also advancing Finnish economic interests.

“For Indonesia, a country with thousands of islands and varying weather conditions, aviation safety is crucial. Finnish technology and expertise will help reduce weather-related risks. At the same time, we are boosting Finland's exports,” says Minister Tavio.

Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic country, where air travel is the primary means of accessing many regions. The project is focusing on East Indonesia, where extreme weather events and volcanic ash pose significant challenges to aviation operations. The project will improve weather services and the ability to forecast and monitor the spread of volcanic ash. Making flight connections more reliable will also promote trade and tourism and thereby improve people’s livelihoods.

The project covers 14 airports and the headquarters of the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG) in Jakarta, providing weather and aviation safety monitoring systems, such as weather observation equipment, weather radars and volcanic ash monitoring and forecasting systems, and personnel training.

The project will be funded through the Finnish Public Sector Investment Facility (PIF). The instrument supports projects that promote the economic and social development of developing countries and include a significant Finnish contribution.