The Flight Information Region agreement between Indonesia and Singapore is a step forward for international recognition of the former’s national airspace sovereignty.

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has signed a Presidential Regulation concerning the Ratification of the Flight Information Region agreement between Indonesia and Singapore.

According to the head of state, the Flight Information Region (FIR) agreement is a step forward for international recognition of Indonesia's airspace sovereignty.

“Alhamdulillah, I have signed a Presidential Regulation concerning the Ratification of the FIR Agreement between Indonesia and Singapore. This agreement is a step forward for international recognition of Indonesia's airspace," President Jokowi said in a statement broadcast on the Cabinet Secretariat's YouTube channel on Thursday.

Furthermore, the head of state said that Indonesia's air space above areas in Riau and Natuna Islands had long been managed by Singapore. Thanks to the cooperation of all parties, the management of the air space over the two areas has returned to Indonesia.

"This increases the area of the Flight Information Region of Jakarta to 249,575 square kilometers," he noted.

The FIR management agreement confirms the sovereignty of Indonesia's air space, while increasing the guarantee of flight safety and security. In addition, this can also increase non-tax state revenues.

"This can be a momentum to modernize aviation navigation equipment and develop Indonesian human resources," he continued.

The Presidential Regulation signed by President Jokowi is the Presidential Regulation of the Republic of Indonesia Number 109 of 2022 concerning Ratification of the Agreement between the Indonesian Government of and the Singaporean Government regarding Boundary Adjustment between Flight Information Region Jakarta and Flight Information Region Singapore.

The Presidential Regulation was promulgated on September 5, 2022.

Also accompanying the president when delivering the statement were Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, and Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi.

The AirNav Indonesia page states that Indonesia's airspace is directly adjacent to a number of other countries' airspaces, including Australia (Melbourbe FIR and Brisbane FIR), Sri Lanka (Colombo FIR), Singapore (Singapore FIR), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur FIR and Kinabalu FIR), the Philippines (Manila FIR), the United States (Oakland Oceanic FIR), Papua New Guinea (Port Moresby FIR), and India (Chennai FIR).

Reporting by Indonesia Window