Sentani, ID 🇮🇩 Closed Airport
ICAO
ID-0254
IATA
-
Elevation
- ft
Region
ID-PA
Local Time
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Loading...GPS Code: Not available
Local Code: Not available
Location: -2.57347° N, 140.52553° E
Continent: Asia
Type: Closed Airport
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Approximately late 1945 to early 1946. The airfield was not formally closed through a modern administrative process but was abandoned by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) following the end of World War II.
Military demobilization and strategic redundancy. With the conclusion of WWII, the vast Hollandia Airfield Complex, which included Cyclops, was no longer required. Allied forces were withdrawn from forward operating bases across the Pacific. Operations were consolidated at the larger, better-equipped Sentani Airfield, which was later developed into the primary civilian airport for the region. Cyclops Airfield was deemed surplus to requirements and was abandoned.
The site of the former Cyclops Airfield has been completely overtaken by urban sprawl and natural regrowth. There are no visible remnants of the runway, taxiways, or wartime structures at the specified coordinates. The area is now part of the town of Sentani, covered by residential housing, roads, and vegetation. The ICAO code 'ID-0254' is an unofficial, modern identifier likely used in non-governmental aviation databases or flight simulators to mark the historical location, as the airfield was abandoned before the modern ICAO system was fully implemented.
Cyclops Airfield, also known as Cyclops Drome, was a critical Allied fighter base during World War II. It was part of the massive Hollandia Airfield Complex in what was then Dutch New Guinea. Originally built by the Japanese, it was captured by U.S. forces in April 1944 during Operation Reckless (the Battle of Hollandia). The U.S. Army quickly repaired and improved the airfield. Named after the prominent Cyclops Mountains nearby, it primarily served as a base for U.S. Fifth Air Force fighter groups flying aircraft such as the P-38 Lightning and P-47 Thunderbolt. These units conducted fighter sweeps, bomber escorts, and ground-attack missions, playing a crucial role in securing air superiority and supporting General MacArthur's island-hopping campaign towards the Philippines.
Zero. There are no plans or prospects for reopening Cyclops Airfield. The land has been entirely redeveloped for civilian use. The aviation needs of Sentani and the surrounding province of Papua are comprehensively served by the modern and nearby Dortheys Hiyo Eluay International Airport (ICAO: WAJJ, IATA: DJJ), which itself originated as the WWII-era Sentani Airfield.