Bali's Airport: A Guide To Ngurah Rai International Airport

what airport is in bali indonesia

Ngurah Rai International Airport, also known as Denpasar International Airport, is the main international airport in Bali, Indonesia. The airport is located in Tuban, 13 kilometres from downtown Denpasar, and is the second busiest airport in Indonesia. Ngurah Rai International Airport is one of the most popular island destinations in Asia, serving 23,779,178 passengers in 2018.

Characteristics Values
Name I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport
Other names Denpasar International Airport, Tuban Airfield, Ngurah Rai Airport
Location Tuban, between Kuta and Jimbaran
Distance from Denpasar 6 miles or 13 kilometres
Travel time to Denpasar 12 minutes by taxi, 3 hours by car
IATA DPS
ICAO WADD
Runway East-west aligned, extends 1,000 m into the sea
Year established 1931
Year of first upgrade 1949
Year of second upgrade 1959
Passenger numbers (2018) 23,779,178

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Ngurah Rai International Airport

The airport has seen several upgrades and extensions over the years to accommodate increasing passenger numbers. In 1963, Project Tuban Airport was launched to prepare the airport for international operations, with the construction of a temporary terminal and runway. The airport was inaugurated as an international airport in 1968 by then-President Suharto. By 1975, the terminal was already overburdened, leading to the construction of a new international passenger terminal completed in 1978.

The airport features a variety of facilities, including the JAS Premier Lounge, which offers comfortable seating, a business room, a kids' area, foot reflexology, showers, and international food and beverage options. The airport also has a money changer that accepts 30 foreign currencies and is open 24 hours.

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Denpasar International Airport

The airport is located in Tuban, between Kuta and Jimbaran, and is close to the tourist locations of downtown Denpasar, the capital of Bali. The original Tuban airfield was established in 1931 at the narrowest point on the southern coast of Bali. When first established, the site only had a few huts and a short grass runway. The northern end lay in the Tuban village graveyard, and the south occupied previously vacant land. The current airport has an east–west-aligned runway and associated taxiway, with over 1,000 metres of the runway's length projecting westward into the sea.

In 1949, a terminal building and other aviation facilities were constructed, including a simple wooden flight control tower. In 1959, President Sukarno sought to further develop the airstrip with new facilities built as part of a $13 million renovation project. To accommodate jet aircraft, it was necessary to extend the runway westward into the sea as any potential eastern extension was blocked by the expansion of the local fishing village.

Ngurah Rai International Airport is one of the most popular island destinations in Asia. In 2018, the airport served 23,779,178 passengers. The airport has undergone upgrades, increasing the popularity of Bali and making it one of the best airports in Asia. The airport has category IX and can serve wide-body aircraft, including the Boeing 747-8 and Airbus A380.

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Tuban Airfield

Ngurah Rai International Airport, also known as Denpasar International Airport, is the main airport in Bali, Indonesia. It is located in Tuban, between Kuta and Jimbaran, and is 13 kilometres (8.1 miles) from downtown Denpasar, the capital of Bali. The airport is named after I Gusti Ngurah Rai, a Balinese hero who died in a fight to the death against the Dutch in 1946.

The airport was originally established in 1931 as Tuban Airfield, named after the local fishing village. It was built by the Dutch Colonial administration as a 700-metre-long airstrip with a few huts and a short grass runway, occupying land in the Tuban village graveyard and vacant land in the south. During World War II, the Japanese armed forces occupied Bali, seizing Tuban Airfield on February 19, 1942. The Japanese improved the runway, extending it to 1,200 metres by 1947.

In 1949, a terminal building, other aviation facilities, and a wooden flight control tower were constructed at Tuban Airfield. In 1959, President Sukarno initiated a $13 million renovation project to further develop the airstrip for jet aircraft operations. This involved extending the runway westward into the sea as expansion in the east was blocked by the growing fishing village.

The Tuban Airport project, lasting from 1963 to 1969, prepared the airport for international operations. The terminal building was rebuilt, and the runway was extended westward by 1,200 metres, resulting in a total length of 2,700 metres with two 100-metre overruns. Land reclamation for this project was achieved by using materials from limestone rocks at Ungasan and sand from the Antosari–Tabanan river. International air service at the airport began on August 10, 1966.

Today, Ngurah Rai International Airport continues to undergo expansions to accommodate increasing tourism to Bali. The airport has an east-west aligned runway, with over 1,000 metres projecting into the sea. It is capable of serving wide-body aircraft, including the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8.

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Lombok International Airport

The main international airport of Bali, Indonesia, is the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport (IATA: DPS, ICAO: WADD). It is also known as Denpasar International Airport and is located 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from Downtown Denpasar. The airport serves the Denpasar metropolitan area and the whole island of Bali.

In 2005, the construction of a new international airport was announced on the nearby island of Lombok, situated to the east of Bali. The Lombok International Airport, also known as Bandara Internasional Lombok (BIL) or Zainuddin Abdul Madjid International Airport, opened its first completed runway of 2,750 m on 1 October 2011. The airport is situated in Tanak Awu, in Kabupaten Lombok Tengah (Regency of Central Lombok), Indonesia, and is a few kilometres southwest of the small regional city of Praya. The IATA code "LOP" for Lombok International Airport came into formal use in late November 2011.

The developing areas of Kuta and Selong Blanak are located 30 minutes south of the airport and offer reasonably developed tourist facilities, including hotels and restaurants. Lombok International Airport is anticipated to mitigate some of the requirements for expansion at the Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali.

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The airport's location

The airport in Bali, Indonesia, is the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS), also known as Denpasar International Airport. It is located in Tuban, between Kuta and Jimbaran, and is 13 kilometres (8.1 miles) from Downtown Denpasar, the capital of Bali. The airport serves the Denpasar metropolitan area and the whole island of Bali.

The airport is 6 miles from Denpasar, and the taxi from the airport to Denpasar takes 12 minutes. The airport is connected by highway via the Bali Mandara Toll Road to Denpasar and Nusa Dua. Three bus rapid transit corridors serve the airport.

The airport is named after I Gusti Ngurah Rai, a Balinese hero who died on 20 November 1946 in a fight to the death against the Dutch at Marga in Tabanan. The Dutch defeated his company with air support, killing Ngurah Rai and 95 others.

The airport was originally established in 1931 as the Pelabuhan Udara Tuban, or Tuban Airfield, named after the local fishing village. When it was first established, the site only had a few huts and a short grass runway. The northern end lay in the Tuban village graveyard, and the southern end occupied previously vacant land. The location of the airport in this area of the island has facilitated arrivals and departures over the ocean with minimal noise and overflights intruding upon populated areas.

Frequently asked questions

The airport in Bali, Indonesia is called the Ngurah Rai International Airport, also known as the Denpasar International Airport or I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.

The airport is located in Tuban, 13 kilometres (8.1 miles) from Downtown Denpasar, the capital of Bali.

You can get to Denpasar from the airport by taxi or van. The taxi ride takes about 12 minutes, whereas the van ride can take up to 4 hours.

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