Dr Ing Ilham Habibie’s prominent father had a vision: to advance Indonesia’s contribution to the aviation industry. He is the elder son of the late former president BJ Habibie and Hasri Ainun Habibie.

Determined to see his father’s dream come to life, Habibie completed his doctorate in aeronautical engineering with honours at the Technical University of Munich, Germany. He worked at Boeing from 1994-1996 and headed several companies before finally teaming up with his father to co-found Regio Aviasi Industri (RAI), where Ilham serves as Chairman.

Through RAI, the company develops regional planes for Indonesia, such as the R-80 which uses two turboprop engines. The aircraft is designed to serve regional flights with increased passenger capacity. RAI is part of the Ilthabi Aerospace Group and belongs to the Ilthabi Rekatama investment holding company, which Habibie co-founded and where he currently sits as Chairman.

Ilthabi Rekatama is involved in investments in natural resources, manufacturing, technology, health and banking. Habibie is also active at the Habibie Center, an independent NGO think-tank and research centre focusing on technology advancement, democracy and human rights.