Virgin Australia returned to Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport this week after a two-year break. With the reintroduction of Virgin Australia to Bali’s airport, international arrivals from Australia are expected to skyrocket.
Virgin Australia’s first flight from Sydney to Denpasar carrying 155 people, landed around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 15. The jet returned to Sydney the next day with 120 passengers on board.
All Virgin Australia flights to Bali resumed Wednesday, including flights from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. During the high season, these flights will operate on a daily basis.
The Governor of Bali, Wayan Koster, who personally attended the celebration, said “The highest number of foreigners on the island of Bali is currently dominated by Australian citizens. For this reason, it is very important to maintain connectivity between the islands of Bali and Australia because the island of Bali has become a second home for Australians”.
Anthea Griffin, the Australian Consulate-General in Bali, expressed appreciation on behalf of the Australian government and the airline. “After going through a difficult time, Virgin Australia is finally able to return to the island of Bali with the support of all parties. We thank you for the warm welcome by the people of the island of Bali towards us, Australians.”
Handy Heryudhitiawan spoke on behalf of Angkasa Pura, Indonesia’s airport management company to say “Previously we have hosted two airlines from Australia, Jet Star Airways and Qantas with routes to various cities in Australia. With the return of Virgin Australia, we hope to further increase air traffic between Australia and Indonesia.”
According to data released by Bali Airport, the island recorded 48,000 Australian visitors in May, making Australians the most frequent visitors to Bali.
Australian visitors to Bali are closely followed by visitors from the United Kingdom, with 15,000 visiting the island last month.
In third place were travelers from India, who landed in Bali 14,932 times.
Travelers from Australia’s Gold Coast will be able to fly directly to Bali starting in March 2023. Virgin Atlantic announced the new service this week and hopes it will facilitate connections between the two world-renowned surf destinations.Best of all, passengers traveling with their surfboards on the new Gold Coast-Bali route will not have to pay an additional fee.