Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport is undergoing a major set of renovations and upgrades to keep up with the rising demands of travel. The runway is being repaved in a project that will take 10 months to complete.
Bali is home to only one commercial and international airport. I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport also only has one runway, which spans 3km in length and is 45m wide.
As part of the new overlaying process, as outlined in the infrastructure maintenance plan for the airport, the new runway is set to provide a safe and sturdy surface that can withstand the pressures of increased flight frequency and bigger aircraft.
The General Manager of Bali Airport, Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, told reporters, “The past two years have focused on revitalising and improving the landslide, including the terminal, access roads within the airport area, and the construction of pedestrian bridges.”
“In this area, we are working to improve the airport airside performance, particularly the runway.” He added, “We must ensure that this facility is always in good condition, fit for use, both in terms of strength and structural reliability.”
He confirmed that the runway overlay project will take 10 months to complete, but that work will be carried out at night when planes are not using the runway, and therefore, there will be no impact on the traveler experience.
Shahab added, “Previously, he conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the runway pavement condition. Based on the results of that evaluation, we decided to carry out maintenance using the resurfacing method.”
He confirmed that Bali Airport is now seeing more air traffic than ever, and from ever larger aircraft. In 2024 alone, I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport served 142,000 flights, an average of 388 flights per day, positioning the airport as Indonesia’s second busiest after Jakarta.
Shahab confirmed that the new runway surfacing has been designed to be resistant to high temperatures and heavy traffic loads. He noted, “We’re taking this step because many international flights to and from Bali use wide-body aircraft. As we all know, I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport is currently the only airport in Indonesia that regularly serves the world’s largest aircraft, the A380.”
The Airbus A380 lands and departs from Bali Airport daily, on a service route offered by Emirates between Dubai and Denpasar.
Shahab told reporters, “We are also issuing notice to airman because our runway will be temporarily closed during the overall work, from 2 am to 8 am local time.”
As behind-the-scenes major redevelopment work gets underway at Bali Airport, front of house, it is all sunshine and smiles, and the airport celebrates the school and summer holidays. Passengers traveling through Bali Airport this month and into August will not be able to help but notice the ‘Summer Beach’ themed events that are being laid on to welcome all holidaymakers and tourists to the island.
Shahab told reporters earlier this week, “As a transit point for tourists spending their holidays in Bali, we also want to be a part of this special moment. One way we do this is by providing a travel experience that is not only safe and comfortable, but also memorable.”
It is not only the peak travel season that is a reason to celebrate. Bali Airport is on track to smash travel targets by the end of 2025. Shahab revealed, “In the first half of 2025, we served a total of 11,424,245 passenger movements and 68,891 aircraft movements. These numbers increased by one percent compared to the first half of 2024, which recorded 11,259,019 passenger movements and 68,202 aircraft movements.”
Tourists traveling to Bali Airport in the next month should be mindful to leave extra time to travel to the terminals, as tourist traffic congestion, especially during peak hours, can cause travel delays across the island.
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WAYAN BO
Thursday 17th of July 2025
After receiving fifty B-777’s Garuda should come back as one of worlds major company’s with connections to worlds major airports.