Aerial Monitoring Reveals Long Queues of Lebaran Travellers at Gilimanuk Port

The 2026 Lebaran exodus flow along the Bali–Java crossing route is beginning to show significant congestion. Vehicle queues heading to Gilimanuk Port in Jembrana Regency have been monitored stretching for dozens of kilometres.

To assess conditions on the ground, Bali’s Police Chief, Inspector General of Police Daniel Adityajaya, together with the Commander of Military Region IX/Udayana, Major General Piek Budyakto, and the Head of Basarnas Bali, I Nyoman Sidakarya, conducted direct aerial monitoring by helicopter on Tuesday, 17 March 2026.

From the monitoring results, vehicle congestion remained high. Lines of logistics trucks, passenger buses and private vehicles filled the routes leading to the port and awaited turns to cross to Java Island.

The surge in vehicles is driven by increased public mobility during the Lebaran exodus period. However, this condition has not been fully matched by the availability of ferry fleets, resulting in limited service capacity at Gilimanuk Port.

The Head of Public Relations of the Bali Police Force, Senior Police Commissioner Ariasandy, said the aerial inspection was conducted to observe actual field conditions and ensure that service to the public continued optimally.

“The Bali Police Chief together with the Commander of Military Region IX/Udayana and the Head of Basarnas Bali conducted direct inspections through aerial monitoring to observe the actual conditions of vehicle queues heading to Gilimanuk Port. From the monitoring results, the vehicle queues are indeed quite long due to the high mobility of the public wishing to cross to Java Island,” he said.

According to him, the police force together with relevant agencies will soon take coordination steps to alleviate the congestion occurring on routes to the port.

“The Bali Police Chief together with relevant officials will carry out further coordination with related stakeholders to seek the best solutions, so that ferry services can run more optimally and the public continues to feel safe and comfortable during their journey,” he said.

Currently, the TNI-Police ranks together with Basarnas and related parties continue to stand ready as part of Operation Ketupat Agung 2026 to ensure that the Lebaran exodus runs safely and smoothly, particularly at critical points such as Gilimanuk Port which serves as the main access point in and out of Bali Island.