In May 2022, Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport received more than one million domestic and international passengers – a new record in the post-Covid era.
As reported by NusaBali.com, PT Angkasa Pura I, the state-owned company that manages Bali’s airport, a total of 1,006,662 passengers entered and left the island from May 1-30, 2022.
Arie Ahsanurrohim, the company’s public relations director, said in Denpasar on Saturday that passengers reported during that time came from both domestic and foreign routes.
Arie added that passenger movements were calculated based on both scheduled and unscheduled flights.
He explained that the unscheduled flights were used by former U.S. President Barack Obama and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and their families during their visit to Lebaran over the Christmas period.
Domestic travelers accounted for the majority of airport arrivals. The domestic terminal building received a total of 772,116 people.
Although domestic passengers represented three-quarters of all arrivals, international arrivals recorded the largest increase in passengers.
From April to May 2022, international arrivals increased 107 percent. About a quarter of a million international visitors arrived in Bali. The recent relaxation of Covid 19 regulations is one reason for the massive increase in arrivals.
These figures correspond to an average of more than 24,000 domestic passengers and more than 7,000 overseas tourists per day.
The increase in the number of international arrivals can also be explained by the resumption of low-cost airline schedules to Bali.
Emirates, the world’s largest airline, returned to the Ngurah Rai runway in May for the first time in two years, making it easier for passengers from the Middle East to reach Bali.
AirAsia resumed its flight schedule from Perth to Bali in mid-May and VietJet relaunched its Bali to Ho Chi Minh flight service too.
In addition, “According to the current regulations, for both domestic and international passengers, there is no longer a requirement for Covid-19 test results for those who have taken booster vaccines or complete vaccines. This certainly makes it easier for people who will travel by air,” said the General Manager of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Handy Heryudhitiawan in a press release.