Bali Airport management teams have confirmed that they will be upgrading facilities at the terminals to help make the passenger experience more efficient.
The President Director of PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia, the state-owned company in charge of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International, has revealed upcoming plans to the media.
Faik Fahmi, the President Director of PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia, has revealed that I Gusti Ngurah Rai International will follow in the footsteps of Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta Airport and implement automated tray return systems at security checking areas across the terminals.
At first glance, for most passengers, these upgrades are far from exciting, but they are incredibly impactful. The installation of automated tray return systems will help speed up the security checks process no end.
The added benefit is that passengers will also not be required to remove items like laptops, tablets, and toiletries from their bags. Saving time and hassle once again.
Fahmi explained “If we use the existing equipment, we can only serve 200 people in one hour, but with ATRS (automated tray return systems) we can serve 500 people in one hour. The difference is in the new technology it is no longer required for people to carry bags, take out their laptops, or mineral water.”
Fahmi added “Even if there are goods that must be checked by Avsec, the line will be separated so as not to obstruct those behind, if example, if [a bag] is checked again, it will immediately move into a special line, which is normally straight. This has started to be implemented at Soekarno-Hatta Airport and has greatly helped the processing time.”
There is hope that the rollout of this new system throughout 2025 will help improve passenger experience, reduce stress levels, and offer passengers more time to relax, explore, and enjoy I Gusti Ngurah Rai International before taking off.
Fahmi confirmed that there are three main areas of focus that Angkasa Pura is focusing on at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International: the first is upscaling infrastructure, the second is digitalization, and the third is improving human resources to help oversee the whole operation.
Bali is on a mission to welcome at least 6.5 million international tourists in 2025, with a reasonable upper expectation of welcoming 7 million tourists to the province. There has been much discussion over the last six months around the need for a second international airport, which would be located in North Bali.
Dialogue about the development hit the headlines shortly after the inauguration of President Prabowo Subianto, who this week marked 100 days in office. As part of his election promises he committed to seeing the development of North Bali Airport finally getting off the ground.
In the meantime, there have been a huge amount of upgrades to I Gusti Ngurah Rai International and an increasing number of stakeholders who want to see Bali’s only international airport developed to its maximum potential before looking to develop a second airport elsewhere.
In late 2024, Bali Airport saw the launch of new autogate technology, which reduced immigration processing times to just a few seconds for arrivals who have e-visas.
The promotion of Indonesian e-visas has also been hugely impactful for Bali Airport since it’s easier than ever for tourists to acquire their 30-day tourist visa prior to touching down in the province, saving yet more time on arrival.
More changes could be on the horizon still at Bali Airport. Earlier this week the Chairman of the Association of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA), Bali Putu Winastra, explained how he and his teams want to see a single managing authority in charge of all operations at Bali Airport.
Winastra shared “Immigration, (authority of the Directorate General of) Immigration. Customs, (Directorate General of) Customs and Excise. Air Force Base, TNI AU. Airport Police, Polri. So many heads there, automatically there are many conflicts of interest.”
He noted that Bali Airport should be inspired by Singapore Changi Airport, which is managed by a single central authority that oversees all elements of the airport operation.
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Shorty
Wednesday 29th of January 2025
A sensible move. Yes there are other problems outside the terminal like taxis which need sorting out. But that should be a reason encourage, not criticise or disparage this action.
Nigel
Wednesday 29th of January 2025
Yer if these useless people would take their J jewellery and belts etc off it'd be a lot quicker too before they get to the check-in
Exp
Tuesday 28th of January 2025
Huge upgrades? Bali taxi has got a more prominent desk on the expense of the online taxi companies after the driver riots at the airport before Christmas. Obviously violence pays off. Clearly the Balinese think they can make their own laws ignoring that online taxis are legal in Indonesia.