Bali–Dubai Route Gradually Recovers

DENPASAR – I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali announced that international flights on the Dubai route operated by Emirates are resuming as Dubai’s airspace gradually reopened. ‘We can inform that Emirates has flown back an aircraft that had remained overnight at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport since 28 February,’ said Gede Eka Sandi Asmadi, Head of the Communication and Legal Division. He noted that EK369 departed Denpasar for Dubai (DBX) on Thursday 5 March at 00:42 WITA on an Airbus A380, marking Emirates’ first service from Denpasar to Dubai since the closure of airspace amid the Middle East tensions. The return of Emirates services continued with a Dubai-to-Denpasar arrival later that day: ‘On Friday afternoon, I Gusti Ngurah Rai welcomed Emirates flight EK368 from Dubai, operated on an Airbus A380, which landed in Bali at 16:30 WITA,’ Eka Sandi added. He stressed that the airport operator is maintaining intensive coordination with the affected airlines to monitor current operations, as not all Middle East routes have yet reopened. Since 28 March 2026, there have been 64 international flight cancellations, comprising 34 departures and 30 arrivals. Canceled services affected Qatar Airways on the Doha–Denpasar/Denpasar–Doha routes, Emirates on Dubai–Denpasar/Denpasar–Dubai, and Etihad on Abu Dhabi–Denpasar/Denpasar–Abu Dhabi. Eight thousand one hundred eighty-seven passengers were affected by these cancellations. Eka Sandi stated that all passengers have been processed in line with each airline’s policy. The airport has prepared for ground handling adjustments for affected flights, allocating parking space for four aircraft from three airlines, and has set up a help desk area and immigration counters for Izin Tinggal Keadaan Terpaksa (ITKT) processing for affected passengers, located on Level 2 of the International Departure Terminal. Passengers are urged to maintain contact with their respective airlines for updated flight schedules. The broader impact of the Middle East conflict continues to be felt in air connectivity, with ongoing disruptions to regional routes affecting Bali’s international schedules.