MANGUPURA – I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali is projected to serve around 1.5 million passengers during the 2025/2026 Christmas and New Year holiday period. To ensure smooth, safe, and comfortable travel amid the anticipated surge, PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia has activated an Integrated Service Post for Christmas and New Year (Nataru) Transportation Monitoring, operating from December 15, 2025, to January 4, 2026.
Located in the public area of the domestic terminal, the service post will operate for 21 days as a centralized hub for coordination, monitoring, and integrated control of airport operations.
During the holiday period, aircraft movements are estimated to reach 9,304 movements, averaging more than 440 flights per day. The increase in traffic is also supported by 510 additional (extra) flight requests, primarily serving domestic routes.
Passenger traffic is expected to peak ahead of Christmas on December 19, 2025, with approximately 79,993 passengers served. Meanwhile, the return flow peak is forecast for January 4, 2026, with an estimated 79,481 passengers.
In the first two days of service post operations, the airport recorded 125,806 passengers, averaging 62,903 passengers per day. Aircraft movements during the same period reached 813 movements, with an average of 406 flights per day, exceeding the January–November daily average of 391 movements.
General Manager of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, stated that the operation of the Nataru Service Post reflects the collective commitment of the airport operator and all stakeholders to delivering safe, orderly, and reliable services.
“Based on previous experience, the Christmas and New Year period is always marked by a significant increase in traffic. This presents a challenge that must be managed carefully. Over the past few months, we have conducted intensive coordination internally and with all related stakeholders to ensure readiness in terms of facilities, personnel, infrastructure, and operational procedures,” Syaugi said.
To maintain operational efficiency, the airport has also optimized the use of technology-based systems, including Airport Collaborative Decision Making (ACDM) and Traffic-Based Operations Management (MOT). These systems enable passenger density forecasting and provide recommendations on the required number of facilities and personnel to maintain service quality.
To anticipate increased vehicle traffic to and from the airport, traffic monitoring posts have been set up at several strategic points in collaboration with the Airport Police, the Indonesian Air Force, and local traditional security officers (pecalang). Traffic engineering measures, traffic light (APILL) adjustments, and tow truck deployment have also been prepared if necessary.
In response to the rainy season, preventive measures include inspections and maintenance of airside facilities, drainage systems and flood control pumps, terminal building maintenance, and real-time weather monitoring in coordination with the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).
“Upholding our commitment to Serving with Heart, we aim to provide a smooth, comfortable, safe, and memorable travel experience for all airport users,” Syaugi concluded.
For reference, the 2025/2026 Nataru Transportation Service Post at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport involves more than 2,000 joint personnel, comprising PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia staff, AirNav Indonesia, Ngurah Rai Air Force Base, Airport Police, airlines, ground handling operators, the Port Health Office, Customs, Immigration, BMKG, airport business partners, and local traditional village authorities.
