The airport serves as one of the main ports of entry to the Raja Ampat Islands, which contains the richest marine biodiversity on earth; it is second in the province only to the larger Domine Eduard Osok Airport in Sorong.

[2] The airport was built due to the rapid increase of tourism around Raja Ampat Islands and the remoteness of the surrounding area, which was previously very difficult to access.

The initial construction of the airport was carried out in 2007, five years after Raja Ampat became its own regency.

On December 19, 2014, the airport originally managed by the Work Unit (Satker) turned into a UPBU.

Due to the pursuit of the Sail Raja Ampat event in 2014 which was attended by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and other state officials, the runway was extended again to 1,400 meters.