Bali Airport Declares Force Majeure As Flooding Warnings Heightened In Tourist Hotspots

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Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport has declared the current flooding and natural disasters seen around the province as a force majeure.

Devastating floods affected six out of Bali’s nine regencies, with leaders confirming the rainfall was the worst seen in 70 years. 

The Head of the Communications and Legal Division at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport, Gede Aka Sandi Asmadi, told reporters, “The current situation is considered a force majeure, but we, along with all airport stakeholders, are still striving to maintain service standards.”

Although flooding has affected the majority of Bali’s regencies, Bali Airport has remained open and operational throughout torrential rain and thunderstorms.

However, the impact this has had on travellers traveling to and from Bali Airport has been substantial. This declaration of a force majeure event is important for tourists and travelers who, in theory, should find themselves covered by their fully comprehensive travel insurance policies. 

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Asmadi confirmed that he and the airport team are working around the clock to handle the situation and put mitigation measures in place. He noted, “This includes adding passenger seating facilities, arranging terminal service personnel, and providing an appeal to prospective passengers to arrive at the airport early.”

He called for travellers to dramatically overestimate how much time it will take to travel to the airport, as a state of emergency has been declared across the province for the next seven days. Asmadi noted that a number of critical points have been ‘paralysed’ due to flooding and that alternative routes to the airport must be sought. 

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Asmadi shared, “We have also coordinated with all airlines to anticipate any passengers experiencing delays and requiring special handling, such as rescheduling or other mechanisms.” There are solutions in place for tourists due to arrive in Bali in the coming days, too. 

Asmadi told reporters, “To meet the intermodal transportation needs of passengers who have just landed in Bali, we have been intensively coordinating with airport land transportation operators to arrange vehicle availability amidst the congestion that occurs on many roads leading to and from the airport.”

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The state of emergency order in Bali Province was initially set to be in place for two weeks, but after initial province-wide assessments, the status was downgraded to one week.

Speaking to reporters, the Head of the National Disaster Management Agency, Lieutenant General Suharyanto, explained on the evening of Wednesday, 10th September, “The Governor has signed it tonight.”

“We discussed earlier that the emergency response period for the disaster would initially be set for two weeks, but because the nature of this disaster turned out to be not so severe, it will be revised to one week.”

He added, “If declaring a state of emergency seems like a lack of capacity, let it be known this emergency has nothing to do with a leader’s ability to handle a disaster. Because no leader, no matter how great, can handle it alone. This emergency requires collaboration; the central government can also provide assistance.”

Tourists impacted by the flooding are advised to cooperate with authorities and support teams on the ground. The army and police units, along with community teams, have been working around the clock to help evacuate local people and ensure that tourists are brought to safety. 

Officers from the Bali Search and Rescue team, known as Barsarnas, were especially active in the Kuta area on Wednesday and Thursday, tending to tourists hampered by flood waters.

Officers from SAR confirmed to reporters that the team succeeded in evacuating three Arabian foreign nationals, five Australian foreign nationals, four Russian foreign nationals, three South Korean foreign nationals, along with three Indonesian citizens in safe condition on Jalan Dewi Sri Kuta.

A spokesman shared, “All the foreign nationals were evacuated and immediately left the hotel and were taken home by their travel agents to the airport.”

Travelers are advised to communicate directly with their travel insurance providers to assess what support is available to them should their trip be impacted by the floods. Consular and embassy support is also available for all foreign nationals in Indonesia.