Marinda Airport Waisai Review

This review of the Marinda Airport in Waisai is for anyone who plans to fly from Sorong to Waisai in the Raja Ampat Regency of West Papua. You should know that there is currently one daily flight from Sorong to Waisai, and this is the closest airport to entering the main Raja Ampat area.

All flights from other major cities in Indonesia will land at the Domine Eduard Osok Airport in Sorong, West Papua. Usually, travellers will take the ferry or boat to Waisai before catching the local boats to your resort in Raja Ampat.

For those who get seasick, flying from Sorong to Waisai is the best option, as it only takes a 30-minute flight. If you take a ferry or fast boat from Sorong, it will take you around two hours by sea; this all depends on sea conditions, which are usually not that bad.

On my trip to Raja Ampat in late 2017, I was fortunate to have experienced flying from Makassar to Sorong and then catching a connecting flight to Marinda Airport here in Waisai.Therefore, I am doing this airport review for anyone who plans to do this same route to cut some travel time. The Marinda Airport (RJM) is considered one of the tiny airports in this part of Indonesia, a Class 3 domestic airport.

This is also the closest airport to Waisai Harbor, where you catch your boat to the resort you are staying at. The Marinda Airport officially opened in May 2012 due to increased tourism to Raja Ampat.

Currently, the airport is undergoing structural renovations to better the facilities and load of the terminal. The renovations include extending the airport runway to accommodate larger wide-bodied aircraft like the Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s. At the moment, only the ATR turboprop planes can land here.

Arriving lets you walk to the main terminal building.

The Indonesian transport ministry is hoping to turn the Marinda Airport into an international airport to receive more guests into Raja Ampat. Originally initiated in 2015, renovations were ongoing when I visited this place.

The current runway is only 1,200 meters long by 30 meters wide and has a very small terminal, totaling 120 square meters. This is the old format of small remote airports in Indonesia, but with tourism leading the way here, it is only right to renovate this airport for the future.Surprisingly in 2017, a total of 40,000 tourists visited Raja Ampat, making this one of the up-and-coming places to visit in Indonesia. Here is a fun fact – The unique name of Marinda Airport (Bandar Udara Marinda) is also adopted from the combination of the West Papua regional leader (Bupati), where his name is Marcus Wanma and vice Bupati Inda Arfan.

So they simply named the airport after both of them, calling it Marinda.

The baggage collection area is still manual here.

When you arrive, be prepared to go back in time. The aircraft will make a quick landing and then a quick turnaround before stopping about 10 meters from the airport entrance. Sorry, there is no shuttle bus or aero bridges here; you exit the aircraft and take a nice slow walk to the terminal building.

The airport is so small only one door leads into the arrival room. The luggage is still manual and dropped through a hole in the wall. You pick up your bags as the staff puts them through the hole. Honestly, this was so old school, as I have seen this at some other remote airports in Borneo too.

Once you have collected your luggage, it will take you five steps, and you will be outside the arrival entrance. Here, you will be greeted by the local drivers or ‘supers‘, who will ask you if you need a taxi or if you are a confirmed guest.

Before you exit, there are some general notice boards with signs indicating the cost of travelling around Waisai.

The one and only gift and general store at Marinda Airport

Sorry to say, this small airport has no coupon or taxi counter. Only locals are dressed in everyday attire, waiting to pick up confirmed guests or act as taxis. If you have arranged a pick-up with your resort, they would likely send a modern-day air-conditioned van to pick you up. Well, I did see a couple that used one of the services.

There are toilets, but they look like a scene from the 1980s. Overall, they are clean and usable, as some of us had to go after landing. But refrain from attempting to shower or drinking the local water from the bathroom taps. Just buy a bottle of mineral water from outside the general shop.

Promotional banners on Raja Ampat are the only colours you see just as you exit the airport.

Yes, only one little shop sells coffee, tea, some local snacks, and instant noodles. This is located just outside the arrival hall by the entrance. From what I saw, only the locals will frequent this place for their daily coffee fix or a quick meal while waiting for guests to arrive.

There is nothing modern like Starbucks, souvenir shops, or any kind of shop. There is just one local general shop, so if you need to buy anything, please do so at the Sorong airport in West Papua before you come here.

The transportation service from the Marinda Airport to various places in Waisai

Outside, minor renovations are still ongoing, but at a very slow pace as debris and construction materials are seen lying around the area. Well, they are doing upgrading works, and if all goes smoothly, the new Marinda airport should be ready by the end of 2018 or early 2019, according to the locals.

Marinda Airport is a stand-alone airport located about 20 minutes from Waisai Harbor. My group was decently large, with about 15 people; hence a local bus from the 1980s was arranged to send us to the harbour. It was a classic design without air conditioning and slide-up windows; this was indeed a trip down memory lane.

The bus ride took us through a pristine rainforest, which was so raw, just like those I have seen deep in Borneo. I sat at the last seat by the window to capture anything out of the ordinary on my camera, and to my surprise, as the bus was travelling, an eagle was flying next to the bus after being startled.

You can imagine the look on my face when I saw it. This is truly Raja Ampat. If you are planning to visit this exotic place in West Papua, please remember to get your Raja Ampat Marine park permit from Sorong before you come to Waisai.

Wings Air ATR-72 aircraft that flies to the Marinda Airport.

Airlines that fly to Marinda Airport in Waisai

As of April 2018, only two airlines fly to Marinda Airport in Waisai. They are Susi Air, which has used a Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft since 2012, and Wings Air, which started once-a-day flights in January 2017.

Wings Air uses an ATR 72-600 aircraft for this flight which operates in four cities. The flight route is Manado, Waisai, Sorong, and Manokwari, a once-a-day flight. This means the airport only operates from 8.00 AM to around 5.00 PM.

Nam Air and Sriwijaya Air are to operate flights to Marinda Airport from Sorong Airport. There are 17 flights a week operating this route, but you should double check the schedules, as, at times, other airlines may cancel or reschedule.

In 2018, news surfaced that AirAsia flights to Raja Ampat may soon be available, but this was only verbally announced. Once AirAsia starts flying here, the airline will most likely land at the Sorong Airport due to the size of its aircraft unless the Marinda Airport is ready to accept larger aircraft.

Address: Jln. Marinda Waisai Raja Ampat.

GPS Coordinates: 00 ° 25’56,3 “S130 ° 46’22,33” E

Contact: marinda.airport@gmail.com

Final Thoughts on the Marinda Airport Review

Raja Ampat is home to 75 per cent of the world’s corals, including a whopping 553 coral species and 1,437 coral reef species. The destination also contains the richest marine biodiversity on earth, making this place one of the best places for snorkelling and scuba diving. You can read my other article on how to get to Raja Ampat, as I share the most common ways to travel here.

Overall, you should not be booking a three or five-day trip here as it is not worth it. You must spend at least a week in Raja Ampat to enjoy this fantastic place. Again, for those who plan to take a flight from Sorong to Waisai, this is the main airport you will arrive at, and I hope you got some valuable information from my review of Marinda Airport in Waisai.