The sparsely populated Raja Ampat Islands comprise roughly 1,500 islands and islets scattered on the northwestern tip of Indonesia’s Papua. Raja Ampat has a sublime scenery of steep jungle-covered islands, scorching white sand beaches, hidden lagoons, spooky caves, strange mushroom-shaped islets and clear, luminous turquoise waters.
No miracles Lonely planet AND Condé Nast Traveller crowns Raja Ampat as one of the vital beautiful island chains on this planet.
Currently, the closest major airport situated on the Raja Ampat Islands is within the mainland town of Sorong. Flights depart from Jakarta, Pulau Ambon (Maluku), Jayapura (Papua), Manado and Makassar (Sulawesi). The excellent news is that the Indonesian Ministry of Transport has approved plans to rework Marinda Airport in Raja Ampat into a world airport.
The Jakarta Post said the approval was given after the West Papua governor met with Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi two weeks ago to propose the runway extension. The plan was first initiated in 2015.
Regent Raja Ampat Abdul Faris Umlati wanted to increase the runway from 1,200 m to 2,500 m, which might allow larger aircraft to land at Marinda. The airport itself was managed by former Transport Minister E. E. Mangindaan on May 9, 2012. Currently, the airport has a runway of 1,200 m x 30 m, one apron of 80 m x 60 m and one terminal with a complete area of 120 m.
Marinda Airport operates from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and serves Susi Air and Wings Air. As the primary airline to fly to Raja Ampat, Susi Air operates a Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft. Susi Air previously operated just once every week, but now offers several flights to Raja Ampat.
Meanwhile, Wings Air has been serving the Raja Ampat route since January 2017. The ATR 72-600 aircraft may be operated once each day on the Manado – Raja Ampat – Sorong – Monokwari route.
Early October On January 21, Sriwajaya Air and NAM Air will open recent routes to Raja Ampat from Jakarta, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Semarang and Makassar.
In addition to air travel, tourists may travel by sea to Raja Ampat by departing from Sorong and using a speedboat, which takes roughly two hours.
