Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Ministry of Transportation is supporting the use of foreign-registered aircraft for forest and land fire management by expediting permits, providing operational assistance, and ensuring flight safety.
The ministry’s Director General of Civil Aviation, Lukman F. Laisa, expressed his office’s support to combat forest and land fires in Kalimantan.
“This includes facilitating the use of foreign-registered aircraft to support firefighting and disaster management efforts,” he confirmed on Sunday.
As of Sunday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has processed 35 special permits for the use of foreign-registered aircraft.
He explained that foreign aircraft granted special permits may be redeployed to other areas requiring disaster response support, in accordance with Decree of the Director General of Civil Aviation No. KP. 9 of 2021 on the Authorization of Foreign Aircraft Operations.
Operators only need to notify the Directorate General of Civil Aviation within 24 hours after the aircraft is repositioned.
According to Laisa, the policy is intended to provide operational flexibility, enabling aircraft to be rapidly deployed to areas in need while complying with applicable aviation safety and security regulations.
Meanwhile, the ministry’s Directorate of Airworthiness and Aircraft Operations also carries out oversight and certification functions regarding airworthiness, including any aircraft modifications required to support forest and land fire extinguishing operations.
After meeting all certification and technical requirements, operators are responsible for conducting flights in accordance with the terms and authorizations of their Air Operator Certificate (AOC).
Aircraft deployment locations and operations for forest and land fire management are determined based on disaster-response needs and coordination with authorized parties, including the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB/BPBD), local governments, and other agencies or parties using or leasing the aircraft.
In addition to facilitating special permits for foreign aircraft, the Ministry of Transportation ensures that the necessary airspace and up-to-date flight information are available to support forest and land fire operations, coordinating with air navigation service provider AirNav Indonesia to issue relevant Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) for safe and smooth flight operations.
As of August 20, 2026, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation recorded three active NOTAMs related to forest and land fire management activities.
The three notices include A3042/26, concerning airspace reservations for water-bombing activities; B0860/26, concerning airspace reservations for water-bombing and air-patrol activities in West Kalimantan; and B0815/26, notifying operators that Taxiway Alpha at Banjarmasin Airport is unavailable due to water-bombing operations.
In addition, one active NOTAM concerns an airport closure due to forest-fire haze. NOTAM C0977/26 provides notice of the temporary closure of Nabire Airport due to haze from forest fires.
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Translator: Muhammad Harianto, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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