Dortheys Hiyo Eluay International Airport

Dortheys Hiyo Eluay International Airport (IATA: DJJ, ICAO: WAJJ) — also known as Sentani International Airport — is an airport serving Jayapura,[1] the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is located in the town (kelurahan) of Sentani (within the Sentani District), approximately 40 km from downtown Jayapura; the name 'Sentani' is taken from Lake Sentani nearby. It is the easternmost airport in Indonesia, the main hub, and the largest airport on the island of New Guinea. On 14 October 2019, the management of the airport was taken over by PT Angkasa Pura.

Dortheys Hiyo Eluay International Airport

Bandar Udara Internasional Dortheys Hiyo Eluay
Aerial view of the airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerGovernment of Indonesia
OperatorAngkasa Pura I
ServesJayapura
LocationJayapura Regency, Papua, Indonesia
Time zoneWIT (UTC+09:00)
Elevation AMSL289 ft / 88 m
Coordinates2°34′37″S 140°30′58″E / 2.57694°S 140.51611°E / -2.57694; 140.51611
Websitewww.sentani-airport.co.id/en
Maps
Western New Guinea region in Indonesia
Western New Guinea region in Indonesia
DJJ/WAJJ is located in Papua (province)
DJJ/WAJJ
DJJ/WAJJ
Location in Papua
DJJ/WAJJ is located in Western New Guinea
DJJ/WAJJ
DJJ/WAJJ
Location in Western New Guinea
DJJ/WAJJ is located in Indonesia
DJJ/WAJJ
DJJ/WAJJ
Location in Indonesia
DJJ/WAJJ is located in Southeast Asia
DJJ/WAJJ
DJJ/WAJJ
DJJ/WAJJ (Southeast Asia)
DJJ/WAJJ is located in Asia
DJJ/WAJJ
DJJ/WAJJ
DJJ/WAJJ (Asia)
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
12/30 3,000 9,843 Asphalt
Statistics (2017)
Passenger2,533,445
Lion Air MD-83 parked at Sentani Airport of Jayapura
Batavia Air Boeing 737-200 parked at Sentani Airport of Jayapura
Sentani Airport Terminal Area

History

Sentani Airport was a part of the large American facilities at Hollandia, now named Jayapura, which was seized from the Japanese during World War II by an American amphibious task force code-named Operation Reckless on 22 April 1944.

The area was occupied by the Japanese in April 1942, and by 10 October 1943, the Japanese had built a large complex with two runways: a western runway of 4,500 ft and a second southern runway of 6,200 ft x 340 ft. There were 24 larger bomber revetments to the west of the strip, and an additional 27 to the east of the field, connected by taxiways to the two runways. Anti-aircraft defenses included 4 light guns that were later upgraded. The airfields were badly cratered by American bomber raids.

Once controlled by the Americans, the airfields were rebuilt, and it became a command and control base with large numbers of operational units flying combat missions with fighters and heavy bombers operating out of the area. The American facilities consisted of three large military airfields: Hollandia, Sentani and Cyclops airfields.

At the end of the war, Hollandia Airfield was abandoned, and was reclaimed by natural overgrowth by the early 2010s. The latest aerial imagery of this area now shows a large housing development project underway on the site. Cyclops Airfield, which was a single-runway facility to the northeast of Sentani Airfield and originally built by the Japanese, was also abandoned and is now part of the town of Sentani. This field is notable because it functioned as MacArthur's HQ at Hollandia.

Sentani Airfield is the only part of the complex still in use as an airfield today. It is used as the principal entry point into the Indonesian half of the island of Papua.

Major USAAF units stationed at Hollandia

Name change

On 20 October 2020, Governor of Papua Lukas Enembe proposed to officially change the name of Sentani International Airport to Dortheys Hiyo Eluay International Airport. Enembe stated that the name, which stands for Papuan late former legislative member and activist Theys Hiyo Eluay, was a form of respect for "one of the charismatic Papuan figures" and a public figure of Sentani tribe, whose people is the owner of customary land rights of the airport.[3][4] Furthermore, Regent of Jayapura Mathius Awoitauw says that he was the axis of change for all indigenous peoples in Papua, so that so he hoped the public "would not have to argue anymore" and "have the same perception".[5] However, Tribal Council of Sentani (Dewan Adat Suku Sentani) rejects the name change, citing lack of consultation with Sentani people who owned the land.[6] According to Yanto Eluay, son of Theys Eluay, the naming was in honour of Theys' effort as figure for PEPERA in 1969 to unite West New Guinea with Indonesia.[7] Regional regulation on the name was passed by the legislative body of Jayapura Regency and was approved later by Ministry of Transportation.[8][9] Although, as of now,[when?] the official name of the airport is still Sentani International Airport.[10][11]

Facilities

The airport resides at an elevation of 289 feet (88 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 12/30 with an asphalt surface measuring 3,000 by 45 metres (9,843 ft × 148 ft).[1] Sentani Airport has three airbridges.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinations
Batik Air Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Makassar
Citilink Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta,[a] Makassar
Garuda Indonesia Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Merauke, Timika
Lion Air Biak, Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta,[b] Makassar, Manado,[c] Merauke, Sorong, Timika
Sriwijaya Air Biak, Makassar,[d] Timika
Super Air Jet Manokwari[12]
Trigana Air Service Dekai, Oksibil, Serui, Tanah Merah, Wamena
Wings Air Dekai, Nabire, Timika, Wamena
  1. ^ Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta is continuation of Makassar flights as same flight number
  2. ^ Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta is continuation of Makassar flights as same flight number
  3. ^ Manado is continuation of Sorong flight as same flight number
  4. ^ Makassar is continuation of Timika flight as same flight number

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
Cardig Air Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Wamena
Deraya Air Wamena
Jayawijaya Dirgantara Wamena
My Indo AirlinesJakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Wamena
Tri-MG Intra Asia Airlines Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Wamena
Trigana Air Service Wamena

The airport serves as the main port of entry to the island of Indonesian New Guinea. The air traffic is roughly divided between flights connecting to destinations within the Papua province and flights linking Papua to other parts of Indonesia.

Sentani Airport is also the main base for several aviation organizations, including Associated Mission Aviation, Mission Aviation Fellowship, YAJASI and Tariku Aviation.

Statistics

Annual passenger traffic at DJJ airport. See Wikidata query.

Airport facility improvements

In October 2012, The Ministry of Transportation announced plans to extend the length of the airport's runway to 3,000 meters, add a parallel taxiway, and to expand the passenger terminal to accommodate jet bridges to board and disembark passengers.[13] As of the end of 2015, the airport incorporates all the aforementioned improvements.

Culture hygiene

Unlike typical airport terminals around the world, Sentani Airport features signs that read "Dilarang makan pinang" (translated, "Consumption of betel nuts is prohibited") posted on walls throughout the terminal. A sight that often attracts the attention of foreign travelers, these were posted in the late 2000s as the airport management's response to the local population's tendencies to chew areca nuts then dispose of red residue (caused by chewing) by spitting on public ground, leaving an unsightly stain on the ground.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Airport information for WAJJ[usurped] from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
  2. ^ Pluth, Dave. "The Captured Oscars of Hollandia". j-aircraft.com. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  3. ^ Batlayeri, Albert. "Bandara Internasional Sentani Berubah Nama Menjadi Bandara Theis Hiyo Eluway pada 20 Oktober 2020". Lelemuku. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  4. ^ Youwe, Alan. "Bandara Sentani Jayapura Ganti Nama Dortheys Hiyo Eluay". Kumparan. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  5. ^ Wally, Engelbert (5 August 2020). "Bupati: Bandara Theys Hiyo Eluay bukan sekadar nama". Jubi.co.id. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  6. ^ "Perubahan Nama Bandara Sentani dan Stadion Papua Bangkit Ditolak". Koreri.com. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  7. ^ "Soal Perubahan Nama Bandara, Yanto Eluay : Jangan Nilai Dari Satu Sisi Saja". Tabloid JUBI (in Indonesian). 29 October 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  8. ^ "Bandara Sentani Jayapura Ganti Nama Dortheys Hiyo Eluay". kumparan (in Indonesian). Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  9. ^ developer, mediaindonesia com (24 September 2020). "Perubahan Nama Bandara Sentani Dapat Lampu Hijau Pemerintah Pusat". mediaindonesia.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  10. ^ Bimantara, Aldi (27 February 2022). "Menilik Bandara Sentani Jayapura, Gerbang Utama di Provinsi Papua". Tribun-papua.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  11. ^ "Data Bandar Udara". Direktorat Jenderal Perhubungan Udara. 29 June 2022. Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  12. ^ "Bandara Sentani buka penerbangan baru Super Air Jet Jayapura-Manokwari". travel.detik. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  13. ^ "Several airports coming up in Papua". 8 October 2012.
  14. ^ Ssstt... Dilarang Makan Pinang di Bandara Jayapura