Bali's I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport Prepares 265 Additional Flights Ahead of Nyepi and Lebaran Holidays
Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport is ensuring operational readiness ahead of the Nyepi religious holiday and the Lebaran break of 1447 Hijri by implementing various anticipatory measures, including additional flights and ground transport provision for passengers.
Airport management has emphasised that flight and transport arrangements are being carefully planned to ensure no passengers are left stranded at the airport during the Nyepi and Lebaran preparation period.
Aircraft conducting final landings are scheduled to arrive before the airport closes completely on Nyepi, which falls on 19 March 2026 at 06:00 West Indonesia Time. Subsequently, flight operations at the airport will be temporarily halted in accordance with Bali’s Nyepi celebration requirements.
To support passenger mobility before and after the airport closure, the airport operator is ensuring ground transport availability remains safe and sufficient.
“During the Nyepi preparation period, we are ensuring transport remains available for users. We must not allow passengers to be stranded at the airport due to lack of transport,” said General Manager of Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport, Nugroho Jati, on Wednesday (11 March).
As part of transport service readiness, approximately 800 transport vehicles have been arranged to serve passengers during the operational period before and after Nyepi.
Recent data shows Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport recording an average passenger traffic of approximately 65,000 passengers per day. However, unlike other airports that operate year-round, Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport has one day per year without flight activities during Nyepi.
“Whilst other places have 365 operational days per year, Bali has only 364 days because the airport completely stops on the day of Nyepi,” he explained.
Meanwhile, to anticipate passenger surges during Lebaran and the joint holiday period, management has already received reports of additional flights. This is being done to prepare for passenger increases during the holiday period. Many airlines are preparing extra flights.
Approximately 265 extra flights have been submitted by airlines to serve several major domestic routes, including Jakarta (Cengkareng), Surabaya, Labuan Bajo, and Balikpapan.
These additional flights are being operated by several airlines including Lion Group, Pelita Air, Indonesia AirAsia, and other carriers. Based on national flight trends, the Jakarta (Cengkareng)–Denpasar route remains one of the busiest flight paths in Indonesia.
Beyond domestic routes, international flights from Singapore and Australia also remain a major market for tourists arriving in Bali.
A surge in passenger traffic is predicted to occur from 13 to 27 March, coinciding with two major moments: the Nyepi religious holiday, Lebaran break, and school holidays. This period is expected to drive increased tourist movement to Bali.
Overall, flight traffic is forecast to grow approximately 1% for domestic flights and 3% for international flights. This increase reflects positive trends in Bali’s tourism sector, which remains a favoured destination for both domestic and international tourists.