IMBL & FIR

I am encouraged by the comments and inquiries made on my last Newsletter on IMBL. It appears to me that there is thurst for knowledge by all walks of life in understanding this island nation of ours!

This compelled me to write on today's topic; IMBL (International Maritime Boundary Line)and the FIR (Flight Information Region). When IMBL was negotiated with India in 1974, the FIR was already in-place but never was a point of dicsussion. The reason is that whilst IMBL dealt with soverignity of maritime and associated air space, the Flight Information Region (FIR) is not; it is an operational regime where to ensure safety of flying, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) delicated its Member States to define regions where operational control was exercised. Thus, we have Chennai FIR protruding in to air space crossing IMBL in the Palk Bay. There are several similar protruding areas in the world more especialy among the adjacent states for your information.

This was an issue whenever SL Navy asked SL Airforce to conduct air recce along the IMBL where SL Airforce used to inform this require crossing in to Chennai FIR! Each time Navy pointed out that our territorial air space is governed by IMBL in the Palk Bay and thereby having soverign rights! As FIR was an operational mechanism, on courtesy sake we kept Indian authorities informed through the Defence Advisor in New Delhi that we are flying in the visinity of IMBL. The issue of soverignity is very clear in agreements as Article 4 of the 1st agreement and Article 5(1) of the 2nd agreement specify these. This is the reason we should know what is what when it comes to the maritime issues!

Today, there is a elaborative arrangements to expand air surveillence especially aftermath of the missing Malaysian airline flight MH370 in March 2014. Sri Lanka also need to update its flight information and alerting services as this island nation become the last land across the Indian Ocean for many long-haul flights connecting the Gulf and South East Asia and the Australia. This demands that our Navy and the Air Force know in detail all the three (3) volumes of the IAMSAR (International Aeronautical & Maritime Search & Rescue) Manual. Our role in securing the maritime and air space of significant portion of the Indian Ocean never should be underestimated!