Bali Is Increasingly Enlivening, Xiamen-Ngurah Rai's Direct Flights Are Opened

Photo: Doc. Ministry of Transportation

The Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) informed that direct flights from China via Airport to Gaoqi Xiamen (XMN) to I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport, Denpasar (DPS) have been opened this weekend.

Director General of Civil Aviation Kristi Endah Murni said this step was an effort to improve the Indonesian tourism and economic industry, especially in Bali.

"Flight frequency is carried out every day," he said in a written statement on Sunday, March 5.

Kristi explained that the first plane to arrive on this route uses the Xiamen Airlines Boeing 738-800 fleet with a capacity of 169 seats. The schedule for the arrival of the plane from Xiamen at 23.15 and return to Xiamen at 00.15 WITA.

"Currently, 1,143 foreign tourists from China have come to Bali since early 2023. With regular flights on a direct basis, of course, it will greatly support the recovery of the pelesir sector," he said.

Kristi added that previously at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport, he had served charter flights from Shenzhen (SZX) Denpasar (DPS) once a week by Lion Air airline using Boeing 737-900 aircraft. Now there are two cities in China, namely Xiamen and Shenzhen, which are directly connected to Bali via regular flight and charter flight.

"We all hope that the accessibility of flights from China to Indonesia will further encourage the recovery of the aviation sector, especially international flight routes not only in Bali, but also in other cities," he said.

Apart from China, in early March 2023, live flights were operating once a week from Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT) to Manado Ratulangi Airport (MDC) and went home, by Garuda Indonesia airline with an Airbus A333 aircraft with a capacity of 250 seats.

"Through close collaboration between ministries/agencies and all aviation stakeholders, the potential for flight connectivity will be realized so that cities can be connected to international routes, so as to encourage the recovery of the aviation sector in Indonesia after the pandemic," concluded Kristi.