Drone Show Licensing in Indonesia: Guide to Managing NOTAMs and Flight Permits

Why Licensing is Mandatory

Indonesia has strict aviation regulations for commercial drone operations, including drone shows. Operating without a permit is not only against the law — it can also endanger flight safety if there are commercial aircraft in the same airspace.

iDRONE always carries out a complete licensing process for each show. It's not just compliance — it's professional standards that differentiate trusted vendors from amateur operators.

NOTAM: Foundation for Operational Permit

NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) is an official notification to all airspace users that there will be UAS (drone) activity at certain coordinates and altitudes at a specific time range. NOTAM was issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DJPU) of the Ministry of Transportation.

The NOTAM submission process requires a minimum of 14 working days before the show. Required documents: drone show proposal (location GPS coordinates, maximum altitude, number of drones, duration), permission from the venue owner, and valid drone operator certification.

ATC Clearance for Air Congested Areas

Venues located within a 5 km radius of an airport or active helipad require direct coordination with local ATC (Air Traffic Control). Jakarta, Bali and Surabaya — the three cities we operate most in — have different air control zones.

For the show at Pullman Central Park Jakarta (near busy air areas), we coordinated with ATC Soekarno-Hatta so that no commercial flight activity overlapped with our show window. This process usually takes 3–4 weeks.

Special Permit for Heritage and Government Venues

Heritage venues such as Prambanan Temple, Fort Vredeburg Museum, or TMII have additional layers of permits. Apart from NOTAMs, we also have to get approval from the management agency (Cultural Conservation Center or the Ministry of Education and Culture) and fulfill heritage protection protocols.

Our show at the Fort Vredeburg Museum Yogyakarta was part of the official grand opening attended by state officials. The licensing process involved 5 different agencies and we started in H-10 weeks.

Why Use a Licensed Vendor

As an event organizer or client, make sure your drone show vendor has: SIUPAL (Sea Transport Support Business License Certificate — for commercial UAS operations), SROP (Remote Pilot Certificate) for each drone pilot, and a verifiable track record of NOTAM processing.

iDRONE has all the above documents and is happy to show them to potential clients. Check with your vendors before signing a contract — the security of your event depends on the legality of their operations.