12.149 Passengers Affected by the Cancellation of Middle Eastern Flights in Bali

Illustration of Ngurah Rai airport, Bali (ANTARA)

DENPASAR - The cancellation of a number of flights to the Middle East region at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport has an impact on 12,149 passengers during the period from February 28 to March 10, 2026.

In response to this situation, the immigration service provides a forced circumstances residence permit (ITKT) service for passengers who are stranded due to flight cancellations.

Head of the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office, Bugie Kurniawan, said many foreign nationals were taking care of extending their residence permits because they were affected by flight disruptions to the Middle East.

"For Bali itself, many foreigners are taking care of ITKT and extending their residence permits due to the cancellation of flights to the Middle East," said Bugie, Thursday, March 12.

In total, there are 321 ITKT services provided through three immigration offices, namely the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office with 222 services, the Denpasar Immigration Office with 92 services, and the Singaraja Immigration Office with seven services.

In addition, the government also set a policy of waiving the overstay fee for 43 passengers affected by flight cancellations.

Based on the data of the Bali Regional Directorate General of Immigration, the majority of the passengers affected were foreign nationals. Of the total of 11,663 people or about 96 percent were foreign nationals, while 486 people or about 4 percent were Indonesian citizens.

Daily data shows that the peak of flight cancellations occurred on February 28, 2026 with a total of 2,376 passengers affected, consisting of 2,238 foreign nationals and 138 Indonesian citizens.

During the period from March 1 to 6, 2026, the number of foreign nationals affected was relatively stable, ranging from 1,000 to 1,200 people per day. After that, the number began to decrease.

A significant decrease was recorded on March 7, 2026 with 553 foreign nationals affected, while on March 9, 575 foreign nationals and 12 Indonesian citizens were affected by the cancellation of flights.

A number of airlines with routes to the Middle East have recorded the greatest impact. Etihad Airways through flight EY477 to Abu Dhabi recorded 3,085 passengers affected.

Meanwhile, Emirates through flights EK369 and EK399 to Dubai recorded 3,042 and 2,833 passengers affected, respectively.

As for Qatar Airways with flights QR963 and QR961 to Doha, it recorded 1,661 and 1,528 passengers respectively affected by the cancellation of the flight.