In a statement released this evening, Singapore’s ministry of transport (MOT) said the matter was conveyed at a meeting on Nov 29 between the civil aviation authorities of both countries.
“Flight procedures for both directions are necessary because aircraft land and
take off into the wind. In this region, winds blow from a north-easterly direction for half of the year and a south-westerly direction for the other half of the year.
“Therefore, flight procedures for a southerly approach cannot safely replace all flight procedures for the northerly approach.
“Hence, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) explained to the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) that in addition to the current Instrument Landing System (ILS) procedures for the northerly approaches into Seletar Airport, CAAS will also be implementing instrument flight procedures for the southerly approaches,” the statement said.
Transport Minister Loke Siew Fook had proposed that Singapore amend the disputed flight path for the southern-end entry to the airport and withdraw the announcement on the ILS approach.
The approach, which is due to come in force on Jan 3, will allegedly encroach upon Malaysian airspace.
In a Facebook post last night, he said that if the ILS flight path is allowed, Malaysia cannot build tall buildings in Pasir Gudang, Johor, and the Pasir Gudang Port will be subjected to higher risks and multiple restrictions.
“Previously, the Seletar Airport didn’t use ILS. Pilots can manoeuvre around obstacles and no height regulation is required around the flight path area. But, now, it is compulsory to impose a height restriction for ILS. In this case, the affected area is as big as shown from Pasir Gudang up north to Ayer Tawar (Johor) and almost to Kota Tinggi (also in Johor).
“Our position is clear, we are not against Seletar. But as far as the descending flight path is concerned, it cannot be over Pasir Gudang,” Loke said in the post.
The Singaporean MOT denied Malaysia’s claim that the implementation of ILS procedures for the northerly approach into Seletar Airport was a violation of the country’s sovereignty and international law and standards.
“The nature of international civil aviation is such that flights have to traverse the airspace of different states. It is not uncommon for flight procedures to/from airports in one state, especially those near other states, to traverse the territories of neighbouring states.
“This does not entail a violation of the sovereignty of the states being overflown. The instrument flight procedures for some Malaysian airports also extend into the territories of neighbouring states,” it said.
Stressing that it respects Malaysia’s sovereignty, the Singaporean MOT said Malaysia had agreed to Singapore’s management of the airspace over Southern Johor in 1973 and a bilateral agreement was signed in 1974 to operationalise this agreement.
It said the ILS procedures for Seletar Airport were published in accordance with Singapore’s responsibilities under the relevant International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) requirements as well as the bilateral arrangements with Malaysia.
“Singapore had nonetheless consulted Malaysia since December 2017 in the spirit of goodwill. Malaysia has never raised any objections to the existing flight profile in place for Seletar Airport which the ILS procedures adhere to,” it said, adding that the ILS procedures were an additional tool for the safe and efficient operation of aircraft, for the benefit of all.
Singapore said it was looking forward to the counterproposal which Malaysia would be giving to the city-state, adding that it was prepared to discuss Malaysia’s technical concerns.