Arso Airport

The primary reason for closure was a combination of obsolescence and urban expansion. The improvement and paving of the road connecting Arso to the provincial capital, Jayapura, and its major Sentani International Airport (DJJ) significantly reduced the need for a local airstrip. Concurrently, Arso became the capital of the newly established Keerom Regency in 2002, creating a high demand for centrally-located land for government buildings, public spaces, and housing. The airport land was repurposed to facilitate this urban growth.

The site of the former airport has been completely redeveloped and integrated into the urban fabric of Arso. The land where the runway and apron were once located is now occupied by the Keerom Regency's government administrative center, a large public square (Alun-alun Arso), sports facilities, and residential homes. The faint outline of the former north-south runway can still be traced on satellite maps, but it is bisected by roads and buildings and is definitively no longer an aviation facility.

Arso Airport was a vital air link for the isolated Arso community, especially during the 1980s and 1990s. Its main significance was tied to supporting the Indonesian government's transmigration program, which brought settlers to the region. The airstrip facilitated the transport of government officials, light cargo, and essential supplies. It was also used by missionary aviation groups (like MAF) for humanitarian and medical flights. The airport exclusively handled small, STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) propeller aircraft, such as the Pilatus PC-6 Porter and Cessna Caravan, which were capable of operating from its basic, unpaved runway.

Zero. There are no plans or prospects for reopening Arso Airport. The original site has been permanently and irreversibly redeveloped. The region's transportation needs are now served by the road network to Sentani International Airport, making a small airstrip within the town of Arso redundant. Any new airport to serve the Keerom Regency would need to be constructed at an entirely new location outside the town center.