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View all search resultsIndonesia steps up efforts to take over airspace control
Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan discussed on Monday Indonesia’s bid to take over the airspace management from Singapore with Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi,
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Illustration of a plane taking off on a runway. (Shutterstock/hxdyl)
T
he government has stepped up efforts to wrap up negotiations with Singapore over the management of the flight information region (FIR) above Riau Islands amid growing concerns over the possible trade-off Jakarta might have to make.
Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan discussed Indonesia’s bid to take over airspace management from the city-state with Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi on Monday. Luhut said the government "is still harmonizing relevant documents" and "working on differences of opinion" among Jakarta officials.
The meeting took place as President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is scheduled to fly to Singapore on Tuesday for an annual leaders retreat with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Progress reviews of the two countries’ past agreements are high on the agenda, as are efforts to improve investment and education cooperation, but Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said doors were open for the two leaders to discuss other issues during the visit.
A FIR is a specified region of airspace in which flight information and alert services (ALRS) are provided. FIRs above Batam, Tanjung Pinang, Karimun and some parts of Natuna are controlled by Singapore’s Changi Airport.
Indonesian officials have said efforts to take over control of FIRs had nothing to do with sovereignty but was rather a matter of traffic management, in line with the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) constitution, which allows delegation of air navigation to another country and with no derogation to sovereignty.
However, the arrangement with Singapore deprives Indonesia of authority over the airspace. As a consequence, patrols conducted by the Air Force and Navy in the territory must also seek guidance from Singapore.
