Sepinggan Airport Adds Two Flight Routes To Bali Related To IKN

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan Airport, Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, added to the Bali-Denpasar round-trip flight route, Bali, to connect the capital city of Nusantara (IKN) which is located not far from Balikpapan.

"This flight is to connect IKN in East Kalimantan (Kaltim) with Bali, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Indonesia, even the world," said Daily Executive H General Manager of Sepinggan Airport Bagus Yuliono in Balikpapan, quoted from Antara, Tuesday, January 30.

He hopes that the addition of routes every day will make it easier for East Kalimantan people who want to take a vacation or work in Bali, or vice versa, because the opportunity for visits from Bali to East Kalimantan is also large along with the existence of IKN.

"Regarding Bali through more flights also provides tourism opportunities for East Kalimantan. Foreign tourists who already exist in Bali, especially those who love special interest tourism, can continue their vacation program or adventure in East Kalimantan," he said.

When in East Kalimantan tourists can explore typical East Kalimantan rainforests such as the Wain River Protected Forest or Bangkirai Hill, or return to a quieter island enjoying the sun and sea such as Maratua Island and Derawan Island in Berau Regency.

In fact, he continued, considering that many East Kalimantan residents are studying in Australia, flights every day to Bali add options and provide savings opportunities, because they can quickly continue their journey immediately on international follow-up flights, as well as if they want to return to East Kalimantan.

In 2023, he said, passengers who went home on the Balikpapan-Denpasar route reached 96,602 passengers and 88,396 for the Denpasar-Balikpapan route.

"Hopefully in the future Sepinggan Balikpapan Airport together with airlines can continue to add new flight routes to various other destinations both nationally and internationally," said Bagus.

Meanwhile, Batik Air Public Relations Danang Mandala Prihantono said the addition of the Balikpapan-Bali PP flight route increased the number of airlines serving the Denpasar route directly.

Previously, there was Citilink that flew three times a week Balikpapan-Bali PP. Many people were interested in this route, so the same route was added.

Through direct flights, flight time to Ngurah Rai Airport from Sepinggan Balikpapan is only about 90 minutes, another option is transit in Surabaya or Jakarta which can take half a day.