Mopah Airport

World War II

In mid-1942, at the height of the Pacific War during World War II, Merauke, located on the southern coast of Dutch New Guinea, was among the few areas of the Dutch East Indies that remained unoccupied by Japanese forces, as the region’s difficult terrain hindered further advances. The town was garrisoned by a company of infantry from the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL), equipped with most of the force’s available heavy weapons. Owing to its strategic position on the western flank of Allied operations in Papua, Allied commanders ordered the construction of an airfield at Merauke. On 6 August 1942, a company-sized detachment, Company F, of the United States Army’s 46th Engineer Battalion arrived to commence construction.^[4]

Construction of the airstrip, measuring 150 by 6,000 feet (46 m × 1,829 m), commenced on 28 June 1943 by the Seabees of the 55th Naval Construction Battalion as part of Naval Base Merauke.^[5] Within eight days, it was able to accommodate its first aircraft. The strip was capable of supporting one squadron of fighter aircraft and several medium bombers. Approximately 20 miles of roads were constructed to connect the airstrip with the town, as well as with gasoline and fuel storage facilities. As Merauke lay within easy range of enemy air bases at the time, it was subjected to frequent strafing and bombing raids.^[5] On 11 May, just three days after their arrival, the Seabees experienced their first air raid. Although there were no casualties, some equipment was damaged or lost. Numerous alerts and attempted attacks followed, but no further bombing occurred until 9 September, by which time construction had been completed. Both the harbor and airfield were subsequently used extensively, with daily reconnaissance missions and bombing operations conducted from the strip. The airfield had a No. 86 Squadron RAAF and a few bombers assigned to do daily reconnaissance and bombing missions.^[5]

After the Surrender of Japan in 1945, Allied forces departed the airfield, and military control of the airport was handed over to the government of Dutch East Indies.^[6]

Contemporary history

Following the war, the airport was taken over and managed by the Netherlands Indies Civil Administration (NICA). After the Dutch East Indies gained independence as Indonesia in 1949, Dutch New Guinea remained under Dutch control as a separate colony, and the airport came under the administration of the colonial government. During this period, De Kroonduif, a subsidiary of the Dutch carrier KLM, operated flights from its hub in Biak to Merauke via Tanahmerah in Boven Digoel using Douglas C-47/DC-3 Dakota aircraft.^[7] Control of the airport was transferred to the Indonesian government in 1962, following the signing of the New York Agreement and the Dutch withdrawal from New Guinea.

In the 1990s, Papua New Guinea’s flag carrier, Air Niugini, operated direct international flights between Merauke and Daru Island; however, the service was discontinued seven years later due to the 1997 Asian financial crisis.^[8]

Due to the prolonged absence of international flights to the airport, its international status was revoked on May 2024.^[9] The status was later reinstated in August 2025..^[10]

Passenger