Modernisation of Bali airport almost completed, trends indicate continued tourism boom

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I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport has undergone a series of extensive renovations designed to make the overall travel experience more efficient.

As Bali heads towards its busiest tourism year ever in 2024, urgent improvements are needed if the island is to keep pace with this rapid growth in international arrivals.

Speaking to reporters, I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport General Manager Handy Heryudhitiawan said the development projects are about 80% complete and will be signed in September.

He said: “With the continuous growth in passenger volume and aircraft movements, we will continuously improve all aspects of service at Ngurah Rai Airport to support flight operations and ensure smooth operations. To this end, we are currently carrying out facility optimisation work in several airport areas.”

The improvements at Bali Airport may not be immediately visible to tourists, but the benefits will be felt across the board.

Heryudhitiawan explained that the optimization project includes the modernization of passenger security checkpoint (PSCP) facilities at the international and domestic terminals, the construction of pedestrian bridges for people at domestic arrivals, and the widening of vehicle access roads in the airport area.

Heryudhitiawan added: “During the optimization work, we will install traffic signs to guide service users and deploy airport security personnel to guard the work area so that airport service users’ air travel is always safe and comfortable.”

I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport is the only commercial airport in Bali. Although there has been talk of building a second international airport in northern Bali for over a decade, the project never got past the initial planning stage.

However, this may soon change as future President Prabowo Subianto visited Buleleng district as part of his election campaign and promised to push for development.

The year 2024 is expected to be Bali’s busiest year ever. With Bali Airport receiving almost all tourist arrivals, officials want to ensure that the terminals operate at full capacity, be it in terms of flights, immigration services or passenger assistance.

A number of new automated gates have been opened in the international terminal, with twenty more set to open next month, bringing the total to eighty automated gates, allowing passengers to clear immigration controls more quickly.

At the opening of the new automatic gates, TPI’s Class I Immigration Office Head Ngurah Rai Suhendra explained how the new automatic gates will facilitate the entire process for tourists and immigration officers: “With (these) 60 units, over 120 people can be processed simultaneously per minute.”

This week, three new flight services were launched that have the potential to bring hundreds of thousands of travelers to Bali.

Low-cost airline AirAsia has started direct flights between Bali and Phuket, Bali and Kota Kinabalu, and Bali and Cairns.

Bali tourists have more options for additional travel experiences in the culturally diverse city of Kota Kinabalu and can extend their beach holiday with a direct connection to Thailand’s popular resort of Phuket. Flight availability at Bali Airport makes it all possible.

Both flight connections will initially be offered three times a week, but an expansion is possible depending on demand.

Air Asia’s head of government relations and corporate communications, Eddy Krismeidi, told reporters on the maiden Bali-Kota Kinabalu flight: “This is only the first flight. The response has been very good and we hope it continues like this.”

“We hope that this route can increase the number of passengers from Malaysia to Bali.”

AirAsia’s new direct flight service between Cairns and Bali makes life much easier for Bali holidaymakers from Queensland, as they no longer have to travel all the way to Brisbane to catch a flight.