Finding a middle ground with the new FIR agreement - Hindustan Times
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Finding a middle ground with the new FIR agreement

ByHindustan Times
Mar 26, 2022 05:15 PM IST

The article has been authored by Priyanka Pandit is an Ashoka-Harvard Yenching post-doctoral Fellow at the Department of International Relations & Governance Studies, Shiv Nadar University.

The recently held 5th Leaders Retreat marks a diplomatic breakthrough in the relations between the two Southeast Asian neighbours, Indonesia and Singapore. Not only have the two sides signed a series of key defence arrangements and a bilateral extradition treaty at the Bintan meet on January 25 this year, of greater significance is the Flight Information Region (FIR) agreement which puts an end to the longstanding conflict on airspace management between the two countries. Under the FIR framework, Singapore and Indonesia have agreed to realign the boundary between the Jakarta and Singapore FIR without upsetting the air traffic flows in the region. The new FIR scheme allows Indonesia to take back control of all airspace within its territory, thereby limiting Singapore's air rights reach to within 90 nautical miles of Indonesia's airspace. 

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo at their leaders’ retreat on Bintan island. Photo: AFP
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo at their leaders’ retreat on Bintan island. Photo: AFP

The two countries have been negotiating these issues for some time now. However, a resolution framework gained momentum at the October Retreat in 2019. The long-held tradition of the annual Retreat serves as an important platform for the leaders to meet and informally discuss ways to strengthen ties and resolve bilateral differences. At the 4th Leaders' Retreat in 2019, the two sides carried out discussions related to the air space in a much more "open and constructed manner" and welcomed a framework that not only takes into account the concerns of both countries but is in line with international compliance and best practices. 

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Over the last several years, Indonesia and Singapore have faced turbulence in their bilateral aviation relationship. The airspace boundary is drawn up differently by the two sides. The Indonesian leaders view it as their sovereign right to include areas over Riau and Natuna islands within Indonesian airspace, which have formed part of the Singapore FIR since 1946. The FIR that consists of some of the territorial air space of Indonesia was assigned to Singapore by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 1946, based on its technical and operational capabilities. And such overlaps are common in many parts of the world, including Europe, Africa, and South America, where airspace management is delegated to other countries to ensure efficiency and flight safety in increasingly crowded skies.

While the FIRs do not follow administrative or territorial boundaries, several Indonesian leaders had made their bids to reclaim control of the FIR over the Natanu and Riau Islands from time to time. For many in the defence establishment, reduced control over its airspace meant an erosion of honour and sovereignty over the country's strategic assets. The aviation officials in Indonesia even expressed their technological and operational readiness to manage their own FIR. Questioning the Singaporean management of FIR, the Indonesian media had often accused them of discriminating against the Indonesian carriers at the flight allocation level as well as delaying take-off or landing at Batam to accommodate Changi's traffic. 

Singapore, which has emerged as a "premier regional hub", treats the issue of FIR control as a "public good" concerning safety and efficiency of navigation and not a matter pertaining to sovereignty or national interest. Also, Singapore has extensively developed FIR management technology to handle the heavy air traffic for flights originating from or ending up at Changi Airport as well as for international flights arriving or departing airports in the region. On behalf of Indonesia, Singapore collects air navigation service charges which are remitted to the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Indonesia on an annual basis. More importantly, much of Singapore's economy is supported by its aviation sector, which encompasses several sectors crucial for the republic's growth and development. 

Although the details of the new agreement are yet to be known, it projects a win-win outcome, not just for Indonesia and Singapore but also for the region. The document now serves as a guide to air navigation services, clearly laying down the roles and responsibilities of the Jakarta and the Singapore FIR for managing the heavy air traffic flows in the region. While the realigned FIR addresses Jakarta's archipelagic and territorial concerns, Indonesia has agreed to delegate to Singapore the provision of air navigation services such as air traffic management, publication of aeronautical information and designing of air routes for the airspace closest to Changi, thereby allowing Singapore to maintain growth and competitiveness of its air hub and aviation sector.

With the international air traffic growing in the Asia Pacific, the new FIR pact points to greater economic growth and development in a wide spectrum of industries. The increased activities in the air transport sector, which include airlines, the airport operator, air traffic control, general aviation, ground handlers, airport security, immigration and customs and aircraft maintenance not only generate greater employment opportunities but also offers access to new markets and creates conditions for attracting more foreign investments to the region. Another sector that would directly benefit from expanding aviation connectivity is tourism. Air service facilitates the arrival of large numbers of tourists to a country, which in turn supports a host of businesses, encouraging trade and productivity. In addition to passengers, the FIR arrangement also enhances the scope for greater airfreight movements, and is a step towards building resilient freighter network in the region.

Regardless of the economic benefits, what remains central to the new FIR framework is aviation safety and efficiency in accordance with ICAO rules and norms. Both Singapore and Indonesia will have to be extremely attentive to the changes in the aviation sector and accordingly upgrade their technology and air navigation service procedures. An efficient FIR regime that provides for the orderly movement of air traffic and safe passage for flights is thus critical to both Singapore and Indonesia's aviation interests. 

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