The stipulation is part of the implementation of a bilateral agreement on the flight information region (FIR) airspace realignment between the two countries, in which Singapore has agreed that Indonesia can finally manage the airspace over Natuna.

The agreement ended Singapore’s dominance of the islands’ airspace, which is considered part of Indonesia’s territory. Indonesia, through its state-owned air navigation service AirNav, has started implementing the FIR realignment since March 22.

With the exception of the low-flying zone, however, Indonesia still must share part of the air navigation control with its neighbor.

The Transportation Ministry’s Directorate General of Air Transportation confirmed the case to The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, noting that Singapore, which is closer to Sumatra than the Natuna Islands, still controls airspace in the newly gained FIR territory for flights up to 37,000 feet above sea level.

International law expert Hikmahanto Juwana from the University of Indonesia said an article in the bilateral agreement stated that Indonesia still must delegate up to 37,000 feet of altitude to Singapore, an unchanged rule since the 1996 bilateral agreement.

“That means the FIR has not entirely returned to Indonesia’s control,” Hikmahanto said.

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