Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport Resumes Operations After Day-Long Closure During Nyepi

Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport has resumed operations after a one-day closure during Nyepi Day. A total of 440 flights were grounded from Thursday, 19 March 2026, at 06:00 WITA until Friday, 20 March 2026, at 06:00 WITA.

Observations by detikBali around 06:42 WITA on Friday (20/3/2026) showed prospective passengers beginning to arrive at the arrivals terminal of Ngurah Rai Airport. Queues were already forming at airline check-in counters at the airport.

Meanwhile, several airport employees started opening their stalls following the Nyepi closure. In contrast, the domestic arrivals terminal remained relatively quiet. Only a few people were taking selfies in front of the iconic Bali sign.

One passenger, Muhammad Robin, shared that it was his first time experiencing the Nyepi atmosphere on the Island of the Gods. This man, who has been working in Bali for two years, chose to return home to Jombang, East Java, a day after Nyepi to celebrate Eid al-Fitr with his family.

“I deliberately chose to go home today so I can stay longer at home, since the holiday is only four days,” Robin said at Ngurah Rai Airport.

Previously, Nugroho Jati, General Manager of PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia (InJourney Airports) at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport, explained that all flight activities at Ngurah Rai Airport were halted for 24 hours during Nyepi. During that period, no regular flights departed or arrived at Ngurah Rai Airport.

Although flight operations were suspended, several airport personnel remained on alert to anticipate emergencies. For example, medical flights or emergency flights that have obtained approval from the relevant authorities.

During that period, a total of 440 scheduled regular commercial flights did not operate, consisting of 231 domestic route flights and 209 international routes. There were 19 aircraft that would overnight or remain overnight (RON) at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali.

The last departure flight before the operational halt was on Wednesday (18/3) at 23:10 WITA for the domestic route, and on Thursday (19/3) at 01:30 WITA for the international route. The last arrival flight was on Wednesday (18/3) at 23:05 WITA for the domestic route, and on Thursday (19/3) at 00:30 WITA for the international route.

Meanwhile, the first departure flight after the reopening of operations is scheduled for Friday (20/3) at 07:00 WITA for the domestic route and at 08:15 WITA for the international route. For the first arrival flight, it is at 08:20 WITA for the domestic route, and at 07:05 WITA for the international route.