Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport may have to wait until next year to see an international flight land on its runway, with airport officials saying none are scheduled to arrive in the immediate future.
Faik Fahmi, CEO at Ngurah Rai management firm Angkasa Pura I, said no international flight arrival schedule has been finalized.
“There are several airlines [intending to fly to Bali], but there are no declarations yet because nothing’s finalized. There are quite a lot [of plans]. But [regular international flights] are more likely in January [2022],” Faik said, as quoted by Bisnis.
Faik said airlines are considering a number of factors before relaunching their flights to Bali, including the current quarantine requirement. As of today, international travelers are expected to undergo a three-day mandatory quarantine upon arrival in Indonesia, which some tourism players pointed as the main reason deterring them from visiting Bali.
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“Tourists are comparing with other destinations. Others don’t require quarantine, while we require quarantine. This is being considered by the airlines,” Faik said.
In addition, only fully vaccinated travelers from 19 eligible countries are permitted entry via Ngurah Rai at this point, which limits the number of travelers that the popular destination is able to attract at this point. Since the international reopening on Oct. 14, no international flights have landed in Bali.
