Travellers walk in the domestic terminal of the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Badung regency, Bali, on April 7, 2024. The airport experienced a notable increase in passengers in the days leading up to Idul Fitri, with a peak passenger number of 74,000 on Sunday. - Antara photo via Jakarta Post/ANN
JAKARTA (Jakarta Post/ANN): I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali recorded an increase in passengers in the three days before the Aidilfitri holidays began on Sunday.
Passengers included both domestic tourists and mudik (exodus) travelers returning to their hometowns.
From Wednesday to Saturday, the airport’s domestic and international routes collectively served 252,438 passengers.
This marked a notable increase of 23.40 percent from the same period in 2023, during which 204,561 passengers were served.
Airport general manager Handy Heryudhitiawan said the passenger figures on Saturday alone exceeded the airport’s estimates, recording 72,402 travelers compared with the estimated number of 65,000.
The airport served 19 extra flights that day. Ngurah Rai airport expected the trend to continue until Sunday when the peak homebound traffic for travelers was predicted to occur.
"We initially estimated 68,899 people based on ticket reservations and previous projections. Now our estimate will be higher, from the predicted 68,000 to 74,000," he said on Sunday, as quoted by Antara news agency.
The surge in additional flights led to overcrowding in the airport's domestic terminal. Handy did not confirm whether this had led to flight delays.
The airport is currently recording a number of delays, though Handy emphasized that the weather conditions at other airports may have also contributed to these delays.
To provide additional assistance for passengers amid the Idul Fitri peak season, the airport has established an Idul Fitri command post that operates 24 hours daily. - Jakarta Post/ANN
