Indonesia authorizes 35 foreign aircraft for emergency Kalimantan firefighting operations
Transportation Ministry grants operational permits for 35 foreign-registered aircraft to combat severe forest fires across Kalimantan, as West, Central, and South Kalimantan remain under Emergency Alert status amid climate-driven disaster.
Indonesia approves 35 foreign aircraft to fight Kalimantan fires
Indonesia's Transportation Ministry has authorized the deployment of 35 foreign-registered aircraft to support emergency aerial firefighting operations against forest and land fires ravaging Kalimantan, as authorities work to contain blazes that have scorched nearly 286,000 hectares nationwide since January 2026.
Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi announced the emergency permits on Tuesday following a working meeting with Commission V of the House of Representatives in Jakarta, stating that containing the fires remains the government's top priority amid a critical shortage of specialized domestic firefighting equipment.
The specialized fleet consists predominantly of heavy-lift helicopters capable of conducting precision water-bombing operations in remote areas. The aircraft are managed by 11 local Air Operator Certificate holders and registered across eight countries, including Australia, Russia, the United States, Ukraine, New Zealand, Laos, Vietnam, and Canada.
The National Disaster Management Agency, established in 2008 and reporting directly to the President, mobilized the foreign aircraft with central government support as part of a coordinated emergency response. The agency has deployed more than 24,000 ground firefighters across Sumatra and Borneo, but inaccessible terrain in some areas has necessitated intensified aerial operations.
Climate crisis drives fire severity
The 2026 fire season has been driven by what meteorologists term a "Godzilla El Niño" phenomenon, with Indonesia's meteorological agency BMKG and research agency BRIN warning that peak drought conditions are expected to continue through August and September before easing in January 2027. The extreme weather pattern has created ideal conditions for widespread burning.
West Kalimantan has emerged as the center of the crisis, with over 38,000 hectares burned year-to-date and thousands of active hotspots recorded through August. The province, along with Central and South Kalimantan, has been placed under Emergency Alert status to facilitate coordination between government agencies.
More than 5 million people on Borneo and Sumatra islands have been directly exposed to hazardous haze from the fires, according to Indonesia's deputy health minister. The Forestry Ministry's SIPONGI monitoring system recorded more than 1,200 active hotspots at peak levels across both regions.
Peatland fires carry global climate impact
The environmental stakes are particularly high in Kalimantan, which contains an estimated 45,000 square kilometers of tropical peatland representing one of the world's largest stocks of tropical peat carbon. Indonesia stores over half of the world's tropical peatland carbon—an estimated 57 gigatonnes—and peatland fires rank as the third largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the country, releasing significantly more carbon than fires on mineral soils.
Authorities have flagged 42 companies for possible action over fires detected within their concession areas. Officials indicate that many fires were deliberately set for illegal land-clearing purposes, compounding the climate-driven disaster.
Massive operational response
By late August, aerial firefighting operations had deployed 4.6 million liters of water across six priority provinces, according to BNPB. Operations have been hampered by difficult terrain, shrinking water supplies, and adverse weather conditions, underscoring the need for additional aircraft capacity.
Minister Dudy confirmed that all 35 permits have been processed to enable immediate deployment over affected fire zones. The Transportation Ministry is facilitating expedited licensing, flight safety oversight, and ground operational support to keep the foreign aircraft operational throughout the emergency period.
"We need all the necessary infrastructure to extinguish the fires, including foreign aircraft that Indonesia does not currently possess," Dudy stated, emphasizing that the specialized capabilities are essential to combat fires that have already consumed more than 48,889 hectares across priority provinces.