The management team at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport have confirmed that the installation of autogates across terminals is now complete.
The project has seen autogates installed in phases across arrivals and departures at the international terminal, and now the program is fully up and running to help tourists travel more easily than ever.
The Director General of Immigration has formally opened the 90 autogates at Bali Airport.
60 autogates are in place at the arrivals hall and a further 30 in the departure area of the international terminal.
Although the first phase of autogates opened for use in February 2024, the completion of the project is a huge relief for airport management teams.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the autogates, the Directorate General of Immigration, Silmy Karim, told reporters, “As one of the main gateways for Indonesian tourism, the average international arrival at TPI Ngurah Rai Airport reaches 18,000 – 21,000 people per day.”
“With the autogate facility, the immigration inspection process only takes 15-25 seconds per person. This is a good breakthrough to smooth immigration inspection traffic, becoming more effective and efficient.”
The autogates can be used by the vast majority of airport users, including Indonesian passport holders. Tourists who have been granted an e-visa in any category, including the eVisa on Arrival, are eligible to use the autogates on arrival and departure.
However, for those who do not wish to use the speedy autogates, there will be staffed immigration counters open as per usual. These counters are also the go-to queue for arrivals in Indonesia who have not been granted an e-visa.
Karim has noted a steady increase in the number of people using the autogates. On average, just 17% of international tourists were using the autogates when the first batch was installed in February, along with 49% of Indonesian travelers.
Data from September shows that 67% of international tourists are now using the autogates, and 62% of all Indonesian travelers too.
Karim told reporters, “It should be noted that improving immigration services through autogates does not mean that security aspects are being ignored. Autogate passers are also checked to see if they are on the blacklist or Interpol red notice. If they are on the list, it is automatically red. They cannot pass.”
In fact, this week Karim and the central government passed legislation that will permit high level immigration officers in Bali and around the country to carry firearms.
In a statement regarding the law change, Karim explained, “High work risks also lurk for immigration officers who guard the country’s borders, especially in conflict-prone areas. Officers often secure dangerous transnational criminals, so the use of firearms is needed as self-protection and to ensure officers can catch the perpetrators.”
Back at Bali Airport, fresh data outlines the demographics of the increasing number of international tourists to Bali.
As of 27th September 2024, a total of 4,722,771 foreign nationals had arrived in Indonesia through I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport.
The five countries with the highest number of international arrivals were Australia with 1,164,258 arrivals, India with 411,758 tourists, China with 361,372 travelers, the UK with 228,948 visitors, and South Korea with 216,993 people respectively.
Traveling to Bali for tourists from South Korea is about to get easier. Starting on the 20th of October, Korean Air will begin operating its service between I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport and Seoul Incheon International Airport twice weekly.
Demand for Bali travel from tourists in South Korea is on the rise, as well as demand for travel expenses in major south Korean cities such as Seoul from tourists all around the world, but especially young western backpackers.
Noting the figures, Karim concluded, “This is good progress. And I hope that the implementation of immigration duties and functions will be even better in the future, not only in Bali but also in all immigration technical implementation units both at home and abroad.”
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