Mopah International Airport (

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

: ''Bandar Udara Internasional Mopah'') is an international airport in

Merauke Merauke is a large town and the capital of the South Papua province, Indonesia. It is also the administrative centre of Merauke Regency in South Papua. It is considered the easternmost city in Indonesia. The town was originally called Ermasoe. It ...

South Papua South Papua, officially the South Papua Province ( id, Provinsi Papua Selatan), is an Indonesian province located in the southern portion of Papua, following the borders of Papuan customary region of Anim Ha. Formally established on 11 November 2 ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. The airport is Indonesia's second easternmost airport after

Sentani International Airport Dortheys Hiyo Eluay International Airport, also known as Sentani International Airport ( id, Bandar Udara Internasional Sentani) is an airport serving Jayapura,

in Sentani. The airport serves as the main gateway to several tourist destinations around Merauke, the most notably is

Wasur National Park The Wasur National Park forms part of the largest wetland in Merauke Regency, South Papua, Indonesia and has been one of the least disturbed by human activity.

History

The original air strip measured 150 X 6,000' and was started on June 28, 1943 by

Seabees United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees, form the U.S. Naval Construction Force (NCF). The Seabee nickname is a heterograph of the initial letters "CB" from the words "Construction Battalion". Depending upon ...

of the 55th Naval Construction Battalion during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

as part of Naval Base Merauke.Merauke airfield, Merauke, Dutch New Guinea, Building the Navy's Bases in World War II, Volume II (Part III, Chapter 26), Chapter XXVI, Bases in the Southwest Pacific, Naval History and Heritage Command web-site, Published: Wed Feb 14, 201

/ref> The airfield had a

No. 86 Squadron RAAF No. 86 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) fighter squadron of World War II. The squadron was formed in March 1943 and was deployed to Merauke in Dutch New Guinea in July that year. While No. 86 Squadron was stationed at Merauke unt ...

and a few bombers assigned to do daily

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

and bombing missions. After the

Surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...

in 1945, allied forces departed the airfield and military control of the airport was handed over to the government of

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

in 1945. The airport is then managed by the Dutch organization

Netherlands Indies Civil Administration The Netherlands Indies Civil Administration (abbreviated NICA; nl, Nederlandsch-Indische Civiele Administratie) was a semi-military organisation, established April 1944, tasked with the restoration of civil administration and law of Dutch colonia ...

(NICA). Following the

New York Agreement The New York Agreement is an agreement signed by the Netherlands and Indonesia regarding the administration of the territory of Western New Guinea. The first part of the agreement proposes that the United Nations assume administration of the terr ...

. The Dutch handed the control of the airport to the Indonesian government in 1962 when they left New Guinea. With the continued increase in tourist visits, the activity of airlines using the airport is also increased. The old terminal building which only has an area of 1,972 m2 and can only accommodate up to 331 passengers at peak hours are no longer sufficient because it exceeds the capacity of the terminal. To increase the capacity of the terminal, the terminal building was extensively renovated in 2015. The airport terminal was expanded from just 1.972 m2 to 4.634 m2. It can now cater around 200,000 passenger annually. The check-in counter and baggage claim area now has a more minimalist interior. The airport's parking lot was also expanded to cater more vehicles. The airport's toilet was also renovated extensively. The boarding lounge was also expanded and now contains 381 seats for the passengers to seat on. Outside the terminal building, canopy has now been installed at the drop off location so that passengers avoid the heat and rain when they arrive at the terminal building. In one corner of the terminal, ATM Center also food court are now built. To add to the beauty and comfort for the passengers, around the terminal has been planted with trees and green grass. In total, the rehabilitation and expansion of the terminal building cost around Rp 16 billion. A new terminal building is planned to be constructed. It is predicted to start by the end of 2016. The new airport terminal is slated to be the largest airport terminal in the province of Papua and West Papua. The new terminal would have an area of 21,000 m2.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Accidents and incidents

* On 26 January 2023, the right wing of

Lion Air PT Lion Mentari Airlines, operating as Lion Air, is an Indonesian low-cost airline. Based in Jakarta, Lion Air is the country's largest privately run airline, the second largest low-cost airline in Southeast Asia (after AirAsia) and the large ...

JT 797 hit a jet bridge when the aircraft is moving to the runway for takeoff. The aircraft is damaged. The police stated that the pilot likely can't see the jet bridge because of the size of the aircraft.

References

External links

Mopah Airport - Indonesia Airport Global Website
{{authority control Merauke Airports in South Papua Transport in Western New Guinea