Jakarta. Foreign-registered aircraft helping Indonesia fight forest and land fires operate consistently with the country’s sovereignty as long as they have Indonesian authorization and remain under the control of local authorities, an international law expert said.

Yordan Gunawan, PhD, an international law expert at Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta (UMY), said international law gives each country authority over foreign aircraft entering and operating in its airspace.

“The principle of complete and exclusive sovereignty over airspace, as stipulated in Article 1 of the 1944 Chicago Convention, gives Indonesia the authority to permit or prohibit foreign flights,” Yordan said.

The Transportation Ministry has issued 35 permits involving 11 air operator certificate (AOC) holders from eight countries, allowing 36 helicopters to support firefighting operations.

The aircraft come from Australia, Russia, the United States, Ukraine, New Zealand, Laos, Vietnam and Canada, Transportation Ministry Director General of Civil Aviation Lukman F. Laisa said, according to Antara.

The government is also fast-tracking permits for additional foreign aircraft seeking to join the firefighting effort.

Yordan said Indonesia retains control through flight clearances, air routes and navigation oversight, ensuring foreign aircraft do not operate independently.

He also called for clear operational agreements covering issues such as insurance, customs, aviation frequencies and liability in case of accidents.

Foreign aircraft granted special permits can be redeployed to other disaster-affected areas, provided operators notify the civil aviation authorities within 24 hours. Authorities will continue monitoring their airworthiness, including when modifications are made for firefighting.

Yordan said the deployment could also strengthen regional cooperation, particularly through ASEAN and the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre), as forest-fire smoke can cross national borders.

The deployment comes as Indonesia battles fires that have affected 72,798 hectares nationwide, with West Kalimantan among the worst-affected provinces, according to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). President Prabowo Subianto has ordered permits to be revoked for companies linked to the fires.

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