Bali Tourists Advised That The Airport Is No Place For Jokes After Security Incident

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Tourists heading to Bali can rest assured that security is taken very seriously indeed.

Officials from I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport have confirmed that a passenger was detained by security forces after joking about having explosives in his bag. 

The incident happened on Thursday, 16th June, at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport, as passengers were boarding a Super Air flight to Medan via Bandung.

The passenger, a 22-year-old Indonesian man, asked the flight attendant for help with his carry-on luggage.

The man, known by his initial R, made a seemingly passing remark about having a bomb in his bag.

The airport authorities told reporters, “The student was sitting in a chair 24 E. When he was assisted in storing his bag, the young man actually joked about keeping a bomb in his bag.”

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The official continued, “Even though the young man apologized and admitted that he was only joking, the matter was still reported to the pilot. Then, he was ordered to lower all passengers.”

As soon as the pilot and cabin crew were alerted to R’s remark, officers from Avsec officers, the Airport Authority, and Angkasa Pura I were immediately on standby and secured the traveler.

He is said to be from Medan in Sumatra and was traveling home from time in Bali. 

Once the passengers had disembarked, the flight officers examined every piece of luggage one by one, which took nearly an hour and a half to process. 

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Airport officials added, “When they got off, the student was immediately secured by Avsec and Otban officers to be examined in a special room. Meanwhile, other passengers were re-examined in the check-in room.”

The General Manager of airport authority PT Angkasa Pura, Ruly Artha, told the press on Thursday afternoon “we urge the public not to make jokes [involving] the language of bombs on flights. We as airport managers are serious about handling airport [safely]”. 

Thursday’s flight from Denpasar to Medan was eventually cleared for take-off, though R was not permitted to be aboard the flight.

Security at Bali Airport is a serious business, whether it be about passenger safety or the legitimacy of security documents.

Last week an Australian traveler arriving in Bali was detained and squinty deported, after being fined, as an immigration official found a tiny tear in his passport. 

Sydney-based tourist, Matt Vandenberg, was traveling to Bali to attend his friend’s wedding.

He was permitted to fly with no hiccups as he departed from Australia. But when he touched down in Denpasar, his trip took an unfortunate turn. 

Despite being held by immigration officials and swiftly sent home again, Vandenberg remained in high spirits and even praised the security officials who were assigned to supervise him while the whole saga was in process. 

In a Twitter post, Vandenberg wrote, “I arrived at DPS, paid my visa [fee], presented my passport, and [got] brought over to the immigration office who alerted me I have a 1cm tear on my passport page.”

He continued, “To be fair, he is correct. I had no idea until he bent it all the way back, and it stood out. You couldn’t see it any other way.”

In light of Vandenberg’s tale, tourists planning their trips to Bali are being urged to check the condition of their passports. It is illegal to travel on a damaged or incomplete passport document. 

Security is strict, and for a good reason, but, in other news this week, some major restraints have been loosened.

Indonesia has announced that the Covid-19 vaccination requirement for all travelers to the county has been scrapped.

While some precautions and sanitary advice remain in place, it is official that unvaccinated travelers can come to Bali.