Bali Airport Opens New International-Domestic Terminal Transfer Bridge for Tourists

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Bali Airport Opens New International-Domestic Terminal Transfer Bridge for Tourists

Bali Airport is one of Indonesia’s busiest airports, welcoming millions of passengers every year.

The airport has long worked to upgrade its 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 responsible for keeping all facilities and operations across the terminals as safe and seamless as possible for travellers.

Over the last few years, major upgrades have been rolled out throughout the terminal buildings, changing the way tourists interact with the space.

This week, Bali Airport opened its new International-Domestic Terminal Transfer Bridge to the public – a new route that makes it easier than ever for travellers to move between terminals for their flights.

It’s all part of a wider mission to evolve Bali Airport into a transit hub for travellers moving across the Indonesian archipelago and Southeast Asia, with visions of turning it into a Singapore- or Kuala Lumpur-style transit airport.

With the connecting bridge, transferring passengers no longer have to go through the previously lengthy terminal transfer process. After a long flight with bags in tow, the transfer was sometimes an unnecessary hassle – and 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 – the facility is only open to transfer passengers from certain airlines.

Airport management aims to expand the service to include all passengers transferring between terminals.

Nugroho told reporters that moving from the international arrivals terminal to the domestic departures terminal takes passengers around 90 minutes on average.

Meanwhile, baggage processing can take up to 150 minutes. Here at The Bali Sun we know all too well 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 improve this.

In the opposite direction – from the domestic arrival terminal to the international departure terminal – the average transfer time is 70 minutes for passengers and 120 minutes for baggage. With the connecting bridge, this 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 tourists can soon confidently book connecting flights with shorter layover times, reducing overall travel time and adding more vacation time.

The bridge also simplifies the passenger journey – transferring passengers no longer 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, or go in and out of each terminal with luggage.”

Tourists transiting through I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport between the international and domestic terminals (and vice versa) will be advised by airport and airline staff about their eligibility to use the bridge route.