ER
THE AIRSPACE Service Agreement or Flight Information Region (FIR) in the Riau and Natuna Islands is not fully held by Indonesia. Apparently, there is still Singapore’s interference in the management of FIR in the area. The reason is, in the agreement, the air space from an altitude of 0-37,000 is still managed by Singapore.
According to the Director General of Civil Aviation at the Ministry of Transportation, Novie Riyanto,said Singapore’s FIR intervention was carried out solely for safety, so that fragmentation or frequency disturbances would not occur which could endanger flight safety. Even though he was delegated, he said, Indonesian ATC officers would be stationed at the Singapore ATC, so that Indonesia still has a big role to play in regulating traffic, especially for Indonesian aircraft.
“With this adjustment, previously there was no charge for the movement of aircraft passing over the Riau Islands and Natuna. In the future, it can generate income for Indonesia. This can increase Indonesia’s Non-Tax State Revenue (PNBP), which can be used for investment. development of human resources and Indonesian aviation navigation equipment,” said Novie in his statement, Monday (2/07).
In this regard, Novie Riyanto explained a number of positive benefits for Indonesia with the FIR adjustment agreement.
In addition to increasing the scope of FIR coverage, other benefits include gaining international recognition that the FIR above Riau Islands and Natuna will become Jakarta’s FIR area, having independence in regulating commercial and state air traffic activities.
“Then, you can place members of the Aviation Navigation Service Authority/civil and military ATC at the Singapore ATC, and a number of other benefits, which Indonesia did not get before the agreement,” added Novie.
Meanwhile, Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi said Indonesia’s efforts to end the status quo of air space over the Riau and Natuna Islands had been carried out since 1995, and were carried out even more vigorously in 2015 under the leadership of President Joko Widodo.
The Minister of Transportation also emphasized that the agreement to adjust the FIR, which is the implementation of the mandate of Law Number 1 of 2009 concerning Aviation, provides a number of positive benefits for Indonesia.
One of them is the increase in the area of the Indonesian FIR by 249,575 km2, which is internationally recognized as part of the Jakarta FIR, which is one of the Indonesian FIRs in addition to the Ujung Pandang/Makassar FIR.
“We didn’t do this alone, but thanks to the joint efforts of various related Ministries/Institutions including, the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, the Indonesian National Armed Forces, the State Secretariat, the Cabinet Secretariat of the Republic of Indonesia and other related elements. I respect the extraordinary international diplomacy that has been carried out,” concluded Budi Karya Sumadi. [sources/photo special]
