Bali. The number of passengers at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali during the year-end holiday season increased by 8 percent compared to the same period in the previous year.

In the period between Dec. 18, 2024, and Jan. 5, 2025, the airport served a total of 1.37 million passengers, consisting of 592,937 domestic passengers and 779,093 international passengers. In the corresponding period a year earlier, the number of passengers was recorded at 1.2 million.

Faik Syaugi, president director of state-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura I, said the number of passengers averaged 72,000 per day during the holiday season, compared to the daily figures of between 65,000 and 67,000 on normal days.

Flight traffic also increased by 3 percent, with a total of 8,148 flights recorded, compared to 7,948 flights during the previous Christmas and New Year holidays. Domestic flights totaled 4,032, while international flights reached 4,116.

The airport also handled the surge in traffic by requesting 528 extra flights, of which 436 flights were successfully realized, with a fulfillment rate of 83 percent. Most flight arrivals in Bali have come from Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Tangerang, Banten, with 283 flights. This was followed by 95 flights from Surabaya and 29 flights from Lombok.

In anticipation of the passenger surge, I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport has also implemented various revitalization and facility optimization programs since early 2024. These efforts included expanding the landside area, redesigning the terminal, and adding 4 lanes for passenger screening and additional x-ray machines.

Additionally, to address vehicle congestion, the airport reorganized more than 90 percent of the landside area, including building a pedestrian bridge, widening roads, and improving vehicle access to the parking ground.

The airport management also ensured that no traffic jams occurred during the holiday season thanks to the revitalization efforts.