By: Aquino Ningdana | Editor’s: Aron Jacob | Okmin TV News | November 8, 2025
Pegunungan Bintang, Papua: The Pegunungan Bintang highland became a historical area on Saturday, 8 November 2025, after the Regent Spei Yan Bidana inaugurated Abmisibil Airport in the Okbibab district. Addressing the airstrip opening, he said the newly completed airport did not just mark another infrastructure achievement but also served as a tribute to missionary pioneers and ancestors’ spirits who first opened this remote region to the world.
The airport’s opening is “the reopening of Pegunungan Bintang’s gateway to progress,’’ Regent Spei Yan Bidana said during the ceremony. He added that the airport is an important part of efforts to connect by improving regional connectivity and breaking long-standing isolation in Papua’s mountainous interior.
Those present to witness the occasion included local government officials, heads of regional departments (OPD), the Okbibab District Head, traditional leaders, community elders, youth representatives, and women’s groups who shared a sense of pride and renewed optimism for their region’s future.
Regent Spei Yan Bidana also urged close cooperation between the government and local communities so that development programs in the future will be able to run smoothly and inclusively. He also called on the central government, especially the Transportation Ministry, to pay special attention to Pegunungan Bintang because of its uniqueness in terms of logistics and strategic challenges, being on the border with Papua New Guinea.
Aquino Ningdana is Okmin TV’s reporter in Oksibil, bringing you the latest news from Indonesia’s eastern frontier.
