US Officially Requests Blanket Flight Permission for Military Aircraft Through Indonesian Airspace

The United States has formally submitted a request for Blanket Overflight Clearance to the Indonesian government. This clearance would allow US military aircraft to traverse Indonesia's national airspace without needing to repeatedly submit flight requests, a move seen as potentially undermining sovereignty and Indonesia's principle of an independent, active foreign policy. Professor of International Law at the University of Indonesia, Hikmahanto Juwana, emphasized that this request contradicts Government Regulation No. 4 of 2018 concerning the Security of Indonesian Airspace. According to him, foreign aircraft must obtain diplomatic and security clearance from Indonesian authorities, as stipulated in Article 10 of that regulation. For the US, the per-flight authorization process is considered inefficient, particularly for rapid responses to conflicts in East Asia. However, Hikmahanto criticizes that approving this request would weaken Indonesia's law enforcement and sovereignty in the eyes of the international community. https://www.harianaceh.co.id/2026/04/28/pakar-ungkap-mengapa-militer-amerika-serikat-ngebet-minta-akses-wilayah-udara-ri/