Bali Airport is one of Indonesia’s busiest airports, welcoming millions of passengers every year.
The airport has long worked to upgrade facilities to make travel more comfortable, and this Independence Day, it opened new facilities to the public.
Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport is operated by PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia (Persero), which is in charge of ensuring that all facilities and operations across terminals are as safe and seamless as possible for travelers.
Over the last few years, major upgrades have been put in place throughout the terminal buildings, changing the way in which tourists interact with the space.
This week, Bali Airport has opened to the public its new International-Domestic Terminal Transfer Bridge, which is a new route that make it easier than ever for travellers to move between terminals for their flights.
This is all part of a wider mission to evolve Bali Airport into a transit hub for travellers moving across the Indonesian archipelago and the Southeast Asia region. There are visions of creating Bali Airport as a Singapore- or Kuala Lumpur-style transit airport.
With the connecting bridge, transferring passengers no longer have to follow the previously lengthy terminal transfer process, which many of us have done before. After a long flight, with bags in tow, the transfer was sometimes a bit of an unnecessary hassle. All that changes from this week.
Speaking to reporters, the General Manager of Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Nugroho Jati, said the new facility is expected to make passenger travel more comfortable and efficient.
He shared, “We are proud to present this latest facility at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali, which will undoubtedly further enhance the quality of service and customer experience.”
“We project this International-Domestic Terminal Transfer Bridge to be operational on August 17th, and it will be a gift to all airport users in celebration of the 81st anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia.”
For now, however, the bridge will not be available to all transfer passengers. This facility is only available to transfer passengers from certain airlines.
Airport management aims to expand this service to include all passengers transferring between terminals.
Nguroho told reporters that the average time it takes passengers to move from the international arrivals terminal to the domestic departures terminal is approximately 90 minutes.
Meanwhile, baggage processing can take up to 150 minutes… Here at The Bali Sun we know all too readily how much of an issue the baggage collection system is at Ngurah Rai International. It’s something of a lottery to say the least. It’s good to hear that further changes are set to be made to improve this.
For the opposite direction, for travelers moving from the domestic arrival terminal to the international departure terminal, the average transfer time is 70 minutes for passengers and 120 minutes for baggage. Moving forward, with the connecting bridge, this time is expected to be shortened.
Passenger transfers between terminals are estimated to take only about 15 minutes, while baggage handling takes about 45 minutes.
Nugroho explained, “This connecting bridge is projected to shorten processing times and make processing more efficient thanks to the connected infrastructure and support from airlines, ground handling, immigration, customs, and quarantine.”
In the long run, this means that tourists can soon confidently book connecting flights with shorter layover times, reducing their overall travel time and increasing vacation time.
The bridge also simplifies the passenger journey. Transferring passengers don’t need to exit the terminal, recheck in, or change terminals while carrying their luggage.
He shared, “This has a positive impact on passenger comfort because processing times are shorter. The inter-terminal transfer process is also more efficient because passengers don’t need to leave the terminal, recheck in, and don’t need to go in and out of each terminal with luggage.”
Tourists transiting through I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport across the international and domestic terminals and vice versa will be advised by airport and airline staff as to their eligibility to use the bridge route through the terminals.
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