Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – The governments of Indonesia and Singapore have agreed to adjust the airspace service or Flight Information Region (FIR).

The flight navigation in the air space above Indonesia’s Natuna island in Riau Islands province, which was previously served by the Singapore Aviation Navigation Authority, would now be served by Indonesia through the Indonesian Aviation Navigation Airnav Indonesia, Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi said in a statement here on Tuesday (Jan. 25).

He highlighted that this agreement was the result of years of negotiations with the Singaporean government.

The Flight Information Region confirmed international recognition of Indonesia's status as an archipelagic country with full sovereignty over the airspace of its territories, in accordance with the 1944 Chicago Convention and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

FIR will also further improve the quality of service and flight safety in Indonesia.

On the flight safety aspect, Indonesia still delegates less than 1/3 of its air space (around 29 percent) around Singapore's territory to the Singapore Aviation Navigation Authority on a limited basis.

However, the cost of flight navigation services in the delegated service area is the right of Indonesia as the owner of the airspace in this area. This still maintains the flight safety aspect without losing Indonesia’s state revenues.

The agreement between the two countries also includes civil-military cooperation in aviation traffic management, one of which is by placing Indonesian personnel in Singapore and the imposition of fees for Aviation Navigation Services in accordance with applicable laws in Indonesia.

With the signing of the FIR adjustment agreement, the scope of the Jakarta FIR will cover all Indonesian airspace, especially in the Natuna island, Riau Islands.

Reporting by Indonesia Window