Sentani International Airport is an airport serving Jayapura, the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is located in the town of Sentani District, approximately 40 km from downtown Jayapura; the name 'Sentani' is taken from a Lake Sentani nearby. It is the easternmost airport in Indonesia, the largest airport in Papua and the main hub to outside the island of Papua, Since 14 October 2019 the management of the airport is taken over by PT Angkasa Pura I.
History
Sentani Airport was a part of the large American facilities at Hollandia, 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 was 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 until the early 2010s, it was reclaimed by natural overgrowth. The latest aerial imagery of this area now show 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.
The airport resides at an elevation of above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 12/30 with an asphalt surface measuring. Sentani airport has three airbridges.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Cargo
The airport serves as the main port of entry into 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.
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. 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" 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 by spitting on public ground, leaving an ungainly stain on the ground.
