Airport type Public 02/20 750 2,461 Paved | Operator Government 750 2,461 Code DTD | |
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Location Long Pahangai, Mahakam Ulu Regency, East Kalimantan, Indonesia | ||
Datah Dawai Airport or Datah Dawai Airport (IATA: DTD, ICAO: WALJ) is an airport in Long Lunuk, Long Pahangai, Mahakam Ulu Regency, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. The airport is the only airport in Mahakam Ulu, serving the only air service in the area. Susi Air has 1 daily flight from Datah Dawai to Samarinda, for a total of 12 seats daily. The airport was located near Kapuas River, the longest river in Borneo and the longest river in Indonesia. It was surrounded by high trees and green forest.
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Airport
The airport doesn't has a radio control tower and only handles pioneer flights. It is controlled by the local government of Mahakam Ulu Regency, particularly by the Local People's Representative. In 2013, an upgrade was planned on the airport. In 2015, the runway of the airport was lengthened and upgraded by the Indonesian government. Located near the border of Indonesia - Malaysia, the airport needs serious attention from the local government. The runway of the airport was upgraded from 850 x 23 to 1.600 x 30. Infrastructures near the airport were also upgraded by the local government. The process was done by the help of the Indonesian National Army, through Operation Bhakti Kartika Jaya. A road connecting from Long Bagun, the capital of Mahakam Ulu regency, to the airport, was also built by the Army. At the end of 2015, the upgradation had finished, with aircraft as large as a Lockheed Hercules C-130 and ATR-72 could land on the airport. This, would boost the economy of Mahakam Ulu regency. The funding of the sustainability of the airport had been assessed by the local government. They planned to had a land clearing at the airport.
Accidents and incidents
On 18 November 2000, Dirgantara Air Service Flight 3130 crashed shortly after taking off from Datah Dawai Airport. No one was killed in the crash, but all 18 people on board were injured, 11 seriously. The aircraft was a total loss, with the front section suffered the biggest impact forces. Investigation determined that the plane was overloaded, and the lack of security in Datah Dawai causing a high chances of bribery.