Transport Minister: 35 Foreign Aircraft Permits Issued to Strengthen Kalimantan Forest Fire Response
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Minister of Transport, Dudy Purwagently, stated that the government has granted permits to 35 foreign aircraft to strengthen the handling of forest and land fires (karhutla) in Kalimantan, which is currently a top national priority.
The permits were issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation following an identified need for additional firefighting resources, as the necessary aerial equipment is not yet fully available within Indonesia, necessitating the direct deployment of foreign aircraft.
“In essence, we will always support what is a priority. Such as fire management, which is a primary priority at this time. In the short term, these fires must be extinguished immediately,” said the Minister, met after a Working Meeting with Commission V of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) in Jakarta on Tuesday.
According to Dudy, these foreign aircraft were brought in by the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) to be used in firefighting activities affecting several regions in Kalimantan, with operational support from the central government.
“We need all the infrastructure required for firefighting, including foreign aircraft that happen not to be owned by Indonesia. Therefore, we bring them in, they are brought in by BNPB, then used for firefighting, and we provide the permits,” said Dudy.
The Minister of Transport ensured that all flight permits for the 35 foreign aircraft have been granted so that the fleet can immediately begin operations to assist aerial firefighting efforts during the forest and land fire emergency.
Dudy noted that most of the foreign aircraft used for fire management are helicopters, as they possess the capability to effectively support aerial firefighting processes in affected locations.
“Yes, those aircraft are already operating to handle the forest fires. We have granted all the permits. There are about 35 aircraft,” the Minister added.
The Ministry of Transport stated that the 35 permits for foreign-registered aircraft were issued for countries ranging from Russia to the United States (US) to strengthen the response to forest and land fires occurring in several parts of the country.
The Director General of Civil Aviation, Lukman F. Laisa, stated that the 35 permits for foreign-registered aircraft were issued to 11 Air Operator Certificate (AOC) holders from eight different countries, totalling 36 helicopters.
“The countries of origin include Australia, Russia, America, Ukraine, New Zealand, Laos, Vietnam, and Canada,” Lukman confirmed in Jakarta on Monday.
The Ministry of Transport detailed that the 11 AOC holders include Ersa Eastern Aviation, Genesa Dirgantara, Falcon Patriot Utama, Pegasus Air Service, Whitesky Aviation, Smart Cakrawala Aviation, Elang Nusantara Air, Intan Angkasa Air Service, Volta Pasifik Aviasi, Dabi Air Nusantara, and Derazona Air Service.
The Ministry of Transport is facilitating the use of foreign-registered aircraft to strengthen forest fire management through accelerated permitting, operational support, and flight safety oversight.