Italy Benefits by Billions in Donating Aircraft Carrier to Indonesia
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, ROME – The policy of donating the aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi (C551) to Indonesia, which was opposed by senators from the Democratic Party and the Five Star Movement, actually benefits the Italian government. Led by Democratic senators Alessandro Alfieri and Graziano Delrio, the parliamentary vote to approve the donation on Monday (16/3/2026) has been postponed.
According to a report by the media outlet Il Sole 24 Ore (ilsole24ore.com), a document released by the Italian Ministry of Defence explains that the free transfer of the Navy (Marina Militare) aircraft carrier, valued at 54 million euros or approximately Rp 1 trillion, does not impose any additional burden on the state budget. This is because the donation means the government does not have to allocate new funds for the Italian Navy.
It should be noted that transferring the Garibaldi from Italy to Indonesia avoids the maintenance burden borne by the Marina Militare. Throughout 2025, the Marina Militare would have to spend around 5 million euros or approximately Rp 97 billion, mainly for electricity, surveillance services, security, and minimum activities required to ensure the platform’s seaworthiness and integrity.
The report also examines an alternative hypothesis: if the aircraft carrier unit is not sold, the Marina Militare would also have to initiate decommissioning procedures aimed at subsequent dismantling. That procedure is estimated to take no less than 24 months and cost around 18.7 million euros or approximately Rp 365 billion.
The Italian Ministry of Defence has approved the donation of the Giuseppe Garibaldi to Indonesia because it meets legal administrative requirements. First: the Republic of Indonesia (RI) is a developing country as determined by the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Second: the European Union and RI have signed the ‘Framework Agreement on Partnership and Comprehensive Cooperation’, which was signed in Jakarta on 9 November 2009. That regulation was ratified by Italy in 2011.
The agreement governs the strengthening of political dialogue and bilateral and multilateral cooperation in various areas of common interest, including security. The executive report further reminds the parties that, starting from 2021, general dialogues have been initiated, in which RI has expressed its willingness to receive deactivated Marina Militare units, with the aim of promoting the utilisation of assets that are no longer operational.
The report also mentions that the Giuseppe Garibaldi has been placed in administrative reserve or inactive status since 31 December 2024. This is because the aircraft carrier has reached the end of its operational life cycle and is experiencing technical-operational obsolescence.