World War II in April 1944 The Sentani area was occupied by
Japanese forces in early 1942, following the
invasion of the Dutch East Indies during the
Pacific theater of
World War II. Recognizing its strategic importance, the Japanese developed a major military base in the area. By 10 October 1943, a large airfield complex had been constructed, featuring two runways: a western runway measuring 4,500 ft and a southern runway measuring 6,200 ft. The facility included 24 large bomber revetments to the west of the strip and an additional 27 to the east, all connected by taxiways to the two runways. Air defenses initially consisted of four light anti-aircraft guns, which were later upgraded. Despite these defenses, the airfields were heavily cratered by American bombing raids. Originally built as a military airfield, construction was carried out rapidly and was primarily intended to accommodate
Mitsubishi Zero fighter aircraft, which had a maximum takeoff weight of only 2.7 tons. As fighting with
Allied forces intensified, the airfield was reinforced with hundreds of Japanese fighter aircraft. By April 1944, the Japanese had developed several airfields in the area: three had been completed, while a fourth was still under construction. Of these, only one was considered fully operational. These bases were captured by American forces during the
Battle of Hollandia in 26 April 1944. During these engagements, the Allies reportedly lost only four aircraft. However, the runway itself was constructed with minimal preparation and was only roughly compacted, which made operations challenging. Fully loaded Allied bombers, in particular, faced difficulty taking off safely without risking collision with the nearby
Cyclops Mountains. Under American control, the complex consisted of three principal military airfields: Hollandia, Sentani Airport, and Cyclops. By the end of the World War II, Hollandia Airfield had been abandoned and was gradually reclaimed by dense vegetation by the early 2010s. More recent aerial imagery indicates that a large-scale residential development is now underway on the site. Cyclops Airfield, a single-runway facility located to the northeast of Sentani and originally constructed by Japanese forces, was likewise abandoned and has since been absorbed into the expanding urban area of Sentani. The airfield is historically significant as it once served as the headquarters of
Douglas MacArthur at Hollandia prior to the
liberation of the Philippines. Sentani Airfield is the only part of the complex still in use as an airfield today.
Major USAAF units stationed at Hollandia , P. J. Platteel, is greeted by an honor guard upon arrival at Sentani Airport, 1958 •
308th Bombardment Wing (10 August-22 October 1944) •
310th Bombardment Wing (6 May-18 September 1944) •
85th Fighter Wing (24 July-24 October 1944) •
3d Bombardment Group (12 May-16 November 1944) •
312th Bombardment Group (June-19 November 1944) •
49th Fighter Group (17 May-5 June 1944) •
475th Fighter Group (15 May-14 July 1944) •
317th Troop Carrier Group (June-17 November 1944) •
418th Night Fighter Squadron (12 May-28 September 1944)
Contemporary history After the World War II, the government of
Netherlands New Guinea made use of the remaining infrastructure left behind by both Japanese and Allied forces. This included Sentani Airport, which served as the main airfield in the colonial capital during the Dutch administration. On 14 October 2019, the management of the airport was transferred from the
Ministry of Transportation to Angkasa Pura I, which was later rebranded as
InJourney Airports.
International flights In July 1959,
De Kroonduif, a subsidiary of
KLM, launched its first and only international route from Hollandia to
Lae, in what was then the
Territory of New Guinea. The weekly service ended when Indonesia assumed control of Netherlands New Guinea, marking the only scheduled cross-border service between the two administrations. The route briefly resumed in the 1970s, this time operated by
Merpati Nusantara Airlines, but was discontinued again shortly thereafter.
Papua New Guinea’s flag carrier,
Air Niugini, also operated routes between Jayapura and
Madang in the 1970s, using
Douglas DC-3 aircraft. Currently, there are no regular international flights to Jayapura, aside from occasional charter services to and from
Australia. There have been proposals to resume regular international flights to Papua New Guinea, including a 2018 plan to launch a route between Jayapura and
Mount Hagen to be operated by the Papua New Guinean carrier
PNG Air; however, it has yet to materialize.
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. 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". However, Tribal Council of Sentani (
Dewan Adat Suku Sentani) rejects the name change, citing lack of consultation with Sentani people who owned the land. 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. Regional regulation on the name was passed by the legislative body of
Jayapura Regency and was approved later by
Ministry of Transportation. Although, as of now, the official name of the airport is still Sentani International Airport. ==Facilities and development==