Introduction: The Sky Is Changing Faster Than We Can Regulate
Aviation is standing on the brink of its most transformative decade. By 2035, the global air transport industry will look dramatically different—digitally integrated, environmentally accountable, and powered by disruptive technologies that blur the line between air, sea, and data.
For Indonesia, an archipelagic nation defined by its skies and seas, this transformation presents both a rare opportunity and a pressing challenge: how to harmonize rapid technological innovation with the slower, more conservative rhythm of policy, safety regulation, and institutional readiness.
In recent years, Indonesia has made notable strides in aviation infrastructure—expanding airports, modernizing air traffic systems, and strengthening safety oversight. Yet as the aviation ecosystem evolves toward automation, urban air mobility, and AI-driven management, the national regulatory architecture remains fragmented across multiple directorates. The challenge is no longer building runways—it is ensuring that regulation, innovation, and human capital evolve together.
This editorial synthesizes the “Future Issues Matrix of Indonesian Civil Aviation Technology”—a policy foresight document that maps 15 key technological and regulatory issues shaping Indonesia’s aviation horizon up to 2035. Drawing from ICAO’s global frameworks, national regulations (PM 81/2021, KM 139/2023), and the country’s current institutional landscape, it outlines what Indonesia must do now to avoid being left behind.
The Unseen Sky: Drones, UTM, and the Future of Low-Altitude Airspace
Indonesia’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) ecosystem is expanding exponentially. From aerial mapping and cargo delivery to surveillance and agricultural monitoring, drones have become a vital tool of the modern economy. Yet Indonesia lacks a unified Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) system. Licensing and operation remain ad hoc, often managed through local aviation offices without a centralized digital framework.
The absence of a National UTM Policy creates critical risks—mid-air collisions, airspace violations, and cybersecurity vulnerabilities. The Civil Aviation Safety Regulations (CASR) only partially cover UAV operations, and the absence of real-time integration with ATC systems heightens safety concerns near controlled airspaces.
To move forward, Indonesia must establish a sandbox policy for UTM technology, integrating UAV operators into national airspace management. This will require collaboration among the Directorate of Air Navigation, the Indonesian Air Force, and private technology developers—underpinned by ICAO’s Annex 19 safety risk framework and Doc 10019 UAS Traffic Management Manual.
Urban Air Mobility: The Rise of eVTOL and the Challenge of Certification
Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is no longer science fiction. Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft are now undergoing certification in the United States and Europe. By 2030, regional passenger transport using eVTOL vehicles is projected to become a USD 20 billion industry globally.
Indonesia, however, has no legal definition for eVTOL operations, no licensing category for UAM pilots, and no vertiport infrastructure standard. Without a proactive regulatory strategy, Indonesia risks becoming a passive consumer of foreign-made systems rather than an active shaper of the UAM revolution.
The Directorate of Airworthiness and Aircraft Operation (DKPPU) must develop adaptive certification pathways for eVTOL and hybrid propulsion systems. The Ministry of Transportation should also coordinate cross-sector urban planning to anticipate vertiport zoning, energy supply, and flight corridor safety.
Indonesia’s advantage lies in its geography—dense urban centres and dispersed islands that could benefit from short-haul vertical mobility. However, policy inertia could neutralize this advantage unless regulatory sandboxing begins now.
The Untapped Frontier: Seaplanes and Water Aerodromes
Indonesia’s 17,000 islands remain one of the world’s greatest logistical puzzles. Seaplanes, or amphibious aircraft, could provide the missing link between remote islands and urban centres. Yet seaplane operations remain largely unregulated, falling in a grey zone between maritime and aviation jurisdictions.
Neither CASR nor PM 81/2021 provides specific guidance for water-based aerodromes, safety zones, or coordination with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs. This regulatory void prevents investors from developing amphibious routes despite strong market demand in tourism, logistics, and emergency medical services.
To unlock this potential, Indonesia should adopt a dedicated regulatory annex for seaplanes, aligned with ICAO Annex 14 (Aerodromes) and maritime safety codes. Joint licensing between aviation and maritime authorities could also pave the way for integrated sea–air multimodal transport, positioning Indonesia as a global leader in island mobility innovation.
Balloons and Beyond: The Case for Regulating Manned Hot-Air Balloons
Tourism-driven balloon operations, once limited to Yogyakarta and Bali, are now expanding across multiple provinces. Yet there is no defined airspace category or operator licensing standard for manned hot-air balloon activities. The result: fragmented oversight and potential interference with commercial air routes.
Aviation authorities must immediately establish zoning and safety standards for both manned and unmanned balloon operations, including pilot licensing and flight altitude restrictions. What appears as a niche tourism issue is, in fact, a national safety concern—especially as domestic and foreign operators enter the market.
Bird Strikes and the Ecological Dimension of Airport Safety
Indonesia’s airports face growing environmental and wildlife challenges. Bird strikes—though often underreported—have caused costly damage to aircraft engines and jeopardized flight safety. Yet few airports maintain a modern Bird Control Management System (BCMS) based on radar detection or habitat mapping.
ICAO Annex 14 mandates wildlife hazard management, but domestic implementation remains limited. A national BCMS framework utilizing AI and radar surveillance could substantially reduce incidents, improve data analytics, and enhance ICAO compliance scores under the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP).
The Missing Committees: Environmental and Economic Governance
Indonesia’s aviation ecosystem lacks two essential governance instruments—an Aviation Environmental Committee and an Aviation Economics Policy Committee. The former is vital for achieving Green Airport certification, managing emissions, and addressing public pressure over noise and carbon footprints. The latter is crucial for harmonizing tariffs, fuel policies, and cost structures between airlines, airports, and ANSPs.
Without such bodies, Indonesia risks policy incoherence—where infrastructure grows faster than sustainability or affordability considerations.
The Ministry of Transportation, working with the National Development Planning Agency (BAPPENAS) and ICAO experts, should institutionalize both committees to steer Indonesia’s aviation transition toward 2035.
Aviation Startups: Innovation Without Regulation
Indonesia’s aviation sector is seeing an explosion of digital startups—apps for ticketing, logistics, maintenance tracking, and drone data analytics. Yet these innovations operate in a regulatory vacuum.
Without a legal framework for digital aviation innovation, startups face uncertainty, and the government risks losing control over safety-critical technologies.
The solution is a National Aviation Innovation Framework—a hybrid policy instrument combining safety, data privacy, and entrepreneurship. It could foster collaboration between government, academia, and private incubators, enabling Indonesia to move from being a market follower to a regional aviation technology hub.
Human Capital and General Aviation: The Struggle for Inclusion
Unlicensed aviation personnel, especially in UAV data, AI analytics, and general aviation operations, represent a growing safety gap.
A National Aviation Competency Framework, integrated with Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) mechanisms, is essential to formalize skills outside traditional aviation academies.
Simultaneously, Low-Cost General Aviation (LCGA) needs regulatory relief. Many small aircraft operators face prohibitive licensing costs that limit rural access and innovation. Policy relaxation—within the bounds of ICAO safety principles—could democratize access to air mobility and foster a new generation of air entrepreneurs.
Digital Transformation: A-CDM, ATFM, and One Data Aviation
Indonesia’s air traffic and airport operations remain data-fragmented. Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM) and Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) are not yet fully integrated. The absence of interoperable databases among airports, airlines, and regulators leads to inefficiencies, fuel waste, and delay propagation.
The One Data Aviation Indonesia initiative should therefore be accelerated. By 2030, all major aviation systems—airport, air navigation, weather, and logistics—must operate under a unified data architecture, leveraging cloud technology and AI-driven analytics. This integration will not only improve safety and efficiency but also transparency and public accountability.
Cybersecurity and Biosecurity: The New Frontiers of Aviation Safety
Post-pandemic aviation must now prepare for hybrid threats—from cyberattacks on navigation systems to biological risks in logistics and passenger flows. Indonesia currently lacks a Cyber & Biosecurity Aviation Framework, exposing critical systems to external vulnerabilities.
In alignment with ICAO’s Global Aviation Security Plan (GASeP) and the Cybersecurity Action Plan (CAP), Indonesia should build a multi-agency task force combining digital, défense, and health expertise. The convergence of cyber and biosecurity is no longer optional—it defines the resilience of aviation in a post-digital world.
Cargo, Connectivity, and the Multimodal Mandate
Indonesia’s air cargo system remains under-integrated with multimodal logistics. Lack of digital tracking and regulatory harmonization across ports, airports, and customs slows supply chain efficiency. A National Air Cargo and Supply Chain Integration Policy, connecting aviation with maritime and land logistics, is therefore essential.
This leads to the broader challenge of transport integration. The 2035 vision must see aviation not as a stand-alone mode but as a strategic connector in the multimodal transport ecosystem. Aligning airport planning with seaports, rail, and road corridors will create a seamless mobility system—critical for Indonesia’s long-term economic competitiveness.
Toward 2035: A Call for Systemic Readiness
Each of the fifteen issues above represents not just a technological challenge but a governance test. The rapid convergence of air, sea, and digital mobility demands a new kind of policy thinking—one that bridges silos between directorates, encourages experimentation through sandbox policies, and prioritizes safety without stifling innovation.
The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) must now evolve from a traditional rule-enforcer to a strategic orchestrator of national aviation transformation. This means leading beyond compliance—adopting anticipatory governance where regulation evolves as dynamically as the technologies it governs.
A strategic pathway toward 2035 can be built around four institutional pillars:
- Regulatory Foresight and Adaptability: Establish a permanent Aviation Technology Foresight Unit within DGCA to monitor emerging technologies (UAV, eVTOL, AI, hydrogen propulsion). This unit would translate global trends into regulatory drafts, ensuring Indonesia’s laws remain ahead of innovation cycles.
- Integrated Safety and Risk-Based Oversight: Modernize the oversight model by linking Annex 19 Safety Management Systems with real-time data analytics. Risk-based audits should replace checklist-based inspections, enabling smarter, predictive regulation aligned with ICAO Doc 9734 frameworks.
- Cross-Sectoral Policy Alignment: Create a National Aviation Coordination Council to synchronize DGCA policies with other ministries—defense, maritime, industry, environment, and digital economy—ensuring that air mobility is embedded in a broader multimodal and digital agenda.
- Human Capital and Digital Capacity Building: Develop an Aviation Digital Academy to reskill regulators, controllers, and engineers for the era of AI, cybersecurity, and advanced air mobility. This academy should partner with global aviation schools and domestic universities to sustain future talent pipelines.
These four pillars together form a Strategic Pathway 2035, shifting Indonesia’s aviation governance from reactive bureaucracy to proactive innovation leadership.
By embedding foresight, adaptability, collaboration, and human capacity within the DGCA’s DNA, Indonesia can transform regulatory challenges into opportunities—turning its archipelagic geography into a laboratory for sustainable and inclusive air mobility.
Conclusion: The Future Sky Belongs to Those Who Prepare
By 2035, Indonesia’s aviation ecosystem will be defined not merely by its fleet size or passenger growth, but by its capacity to integrate innovation, safety, and sustainability into a coherent national strategy. The emerging issues—drones, eVTOL, seaplanes, AI, cybersecurity—are not peripheral; they are the very shape of the next aviation century.
As the world’s largest archipelago, Indonesia holds the natural advantage to pioneer distributed, hybrid, and sustainable aviation systems. But to do so, it must act now—codifying foresight into regulation, transforming committees into engines of innovation, and turning fragmented initiatives into one national aviation technology roadmap.
The horizon is open. The challenge is not the sky—it is our readiness to rise.
