Ngurah Rai Airport Temporarily Suspends Flight Routes To And From China

Bali Ngurah Rai Airport. (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali, officially temporarily suspended flight operations from and to mainland China to follow up on directions from the President, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Transportation regarding the temporary suspension of flight operations from / to mainland China.

"As of Wednesday, February 5, 2020 at 00.00 WIB or 01.00 WITA, we have officially suspended the operational route of flights to and from mainland China, until the deadline will be determined later," said General Manager of PT Angkasa Pura I (Persero) Bandar. Air International I Gusti Ngurah Rai, Bali, Herry AY Sikado, in Mangupura, Wednesday 5 February.

He said, before closing flight operations to China related to the spread of the new corona virus (novel Coronavirus / nCov), his party had also held meetings with member agencies of the Airport Community, including airlines serving international routes.

His party has also coordinated with airlines, ground handling, immigration and other related agencies.

"This temporary suspension is carried out to anticipate the spread of the corona virus. The status of Indonesia and Bali in particular is currently safe from the spread of this virus. This step is taken to keep Indonesia free from the threat of this outbreak," he said.

Before the temporary suspension of flights, China Eastern airline from Shanghai Pudong with flight number MU5029 landed first at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport on Tuesday, February 4 at 22.03 WITA. The passengerless ferry flight is intended to bring passengers back to the city of Shanghai in China.

At 23.36 WITA, the same plane immediately flew back to Shanghai carrying a total of 244 passengers using flight number MU5030.

Furthermore, on Tuesday 4 February at 22.55 WITA, the China Southern airline flight route Guangzhou-Bali (DPS) with flight number CZ625 also landed at Ngurah Rai Airport as well as being the last flight from mainland China to arrive in Bali.

Then, the plane was also the last flight to China from Bali with flight number CZ626 for Guangzhou, China, which departed on Wednesday (5/2) at 12:18 WITA and carried 127 passengers.

"Furthermore, for passengers traveling to mainland China who are affected by the termination of flight operations, we have opened a helpdesk located on the 2nd Floor of the International Terminal. Officers from airlines, ground handling and Angkasa Pura I will stand by to help affected passengers," he said. Herry Sikado.

The Director of Aviation Security at the Directorate General of Transportation of the Ministry of Transportation, Moch Alwi, who was present at the release of the last flight to China, said that the steps and decisions made by the Ministry of Transportation, including delays to flights from / to all destinations in Mainland China, had been carefully thought out.

"Because from WHO there is a list of 24 countries infected with the corona virus, so from this we together with the local government here, prevent Indonesia, especially Bali from being infected with this outbreak," he said.

The Ministry of Transportation has also given until February 5, 2020 before the temporary flight delays on the Chinese route, one of which is to give time for tourists, especially those in Bali, to prepare to return to their country.

He added that so far there has been no request from the Chinese government to pick up Indonesian citizens. And if there is, for example, a bilateral air agreement can be made between the Foreign Ministries of the two countries.