The idea of building an airport in Nias was initiated by Dalihuku Mendröfa, commonly known as Dalimend, who was serving as both the regent of Nias and an active officer in the
Indonesian Air Force at the time. He actively lobbied the
Ministry of Transportation to support the project, believing that an airport would help break the island’s isolation, promote modernization, and boost tourism development in Nias, which had been declared a national tourism destination by
Vice President Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX in 1974. Construction began in 1976 and was completed the following year. The airport was officially inaugurated in a ceremony attended by Dalimend and
Emil Salim, the then Minister of Transportation. The inauguration also featured a parachute landing demonstration by personnel from the Indonesian Air Force’s
Kopasgat unit, who jumped from a
C-130 Hercules aircraft. It was the first such parachute display ever held in Nias. The airport primarily serves routes between Nias and mainland North Sumatra, such as
Medan, with flights operated by
Wings Air and, in the past, by
Citilink and
Garuda Indonesia.
Susi Air also operates flights to smaller destinations like
Parapat and
Sibolga. On 15 November 2018, Garuda Indonesia launched a thrice-weekly direct flight between
Jakarta and Gunungsitoli using a
Bombardier CRJ-1000, eliminating the need for a transit in Medan. However, the route was discontinued due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. On 3 November 2021, Wings Air introduced a new thrice-weekly route connecting Gunungsitoli and
Padang using an
ATR-72 aircraft. This route was also short-lived. Efforts to reinstate direct flights to Jakarta are ongoing but have yet to materialize. The local Nias community has proposed renaming the airport
Dalimend Airport, in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Dalihuku “Dalimend” Mendröfa, an Indonesian Air Force officer and former regent of Nias who first initiated the idea of its construction. However, any official name change requires approval from the central government. Due to the growing tourism industry in Nias and the increasing number of foreign visitors, there have been proposals to upgrade the airport to international status and open direct international routes to the island. In 2014, the Ministry of Transportation allocated 100 million rupiah to improve the airport’s infrastructure, including extending the runway from 1,800 meters to 2,250 meters. This upgrade was aimed at accommodating
narrow-body aircraft such as the
Boeing 737 and
Airbus A320, in preparation for potential international flights from destinations like
Kuala Lumpur,
Penang, and
Singapore. == Facilities and development ==