In a tragic incident highlighting ongoing security challenges in Indonesia’s eastern region, two pilots were killed when unknown assailants opened fire on a civilian aircraft during landing in Papua on Wednesday. The attack occurred at approximately 11:17 AM local time as the Smart Air Cessna Caravan approached Korowai Airport in Boven Digoel, South Papua province.
According to police spokesman Cahyo Sukarnito, the aircraft was carrying 13 passengers alongside the flight crew when gunfire targeted the plane upon touchdown. In response to the attack, both pilots and all passengers evacuated the aircraft and sought refuge in nearby forested terrain surrounding the airport facility.
Tragically, both the pilot and co-pilot sustained fatal injuries during the incident. All passengers aboard the flight were confirmed safe and accounted for following the attack. Authorities have not yet identified the perpetrators behind the shooting, with police investigations ongoing to determine responsibility.
The attack occurs against the backdrop of long-simmering tensions in Indonesia’s resource-rich Papua region, where separatist groups have maintained a low-intensity independence conflict since the territory’s controversial incorporation into Indonesia following a UN-supervised vote in 1969. The region has experienced escalating violence in recent years despite increased security presence.
Smart Air, the operator of the targeted aircraft, has not issued an immediate public statement regarding the attack or the loss of their flight crew members. The incident represents one of the most direct attacks on civilian aviation in the region’s ongoing conflict, raising concerns about the safety of air transport in remote areas of Papua.