Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport will close 24 hours for Nyepi (exceptions apply)

No flights are to go in or out of Bali this Saturday for the sacred holiday of Nyepi when the Island of the Gods will do its annual shutdown. 

The airport’s routine closure on March 21 will be for the 1937 Balinese New Year. This sort of closure has been going on since 2000 and the airport has kept up its practice of shutting down everything completely, Angkasa Pura Indonesia Airports Co-General Manager I Gusti Ngurah Ardita told Antara on Monday. 

According to Ardita, the airport will stop all operations from March 21 at 6 am until March 22 at 6 am. 

Despite the airport’s closure for Nyepi, Ardita says certain conditions could get the airport open on the holiday, like an emergency landing or medical situation. 

During Nypei, as many as 258 domestic regular flights and 164 international flights will not go out, says Ardita. He also added that a Korean Air flight to Incheon, South Korea that departs at 3 am on March 21 will be the last flight before things close. 

Closing Ngurah Rai for even one day is a big deal, as it’s one of Indonesia’s busiest hubs, with an average 1,974 going through every hour, according to Antara. 

Photo: Flickr




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