North Bali Airport Project – New Investment Partners Secured For North Bali International Airport Project
The North Bali International Airport is one of the hotly anticipated development projects the province has ever seen. With Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto vowing to complete it during his time in office, it appears progress is being made.
The company behind the North Bali Airport project, PT BIBU Panji Sakti, has confirmed that it has partnered with South Korean-based transportation and infrastructure company S-Transport Co. Ltd to develop the digital ecosystem for the airport and surrounding infrastructure developments.
S-Transport Co. Ltd will work alongside other strategic development partners in the project, such as Alien Design Consultant, which is responsible for the airport’s architectural concept, to be known as an ARTPORT rather than simply an airport.
The CEO of PT BIBU Panji Sakti, Erwanto Sad Adiatmoko Hariwibowo, told reporters, “This airport isn’t just about building aviation infrastructure. It’s about opening access, changing economic flows, and providing fairer opportunities for North Bali.”
He confirmed that, as part of the MoU with S-Transport, the company will provide airport transportation systems planning and digital integration, and develop efficient, safe operational modes for the entire facility.
The CEO of S-Transport, Choi Jamie Jangkook, told reporters how the company sees North Bali as a strategic destination, not only for tourism but for regional connectivity. He noted, “We see this project as an opportunity to design an airport that is conceived from the outset as an integrated system, not just a terminal and runway.”
He added, “We are bringing a data-driven and simulation-driven approach. We are looking at how the airport operates under various scenarios, how passenger flow is managed, and how safety systems are designed from the outside. All of this must be considered before the first concrete is poured.”
Although President Subianto promised to complete the North Bali International Airport by the end of his term, the project is still a long way from
welcoming tourists.
Ambitious plans suggest services could be launched as early as 2028. In the meantime, the conversation continues around scaling capacity at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.
Speaking to reporters last week, the Director General of Air Transportation at the Ministry of Transportation, Lukman F. Laisa, revealed plans to increase Bali’s capacity to accommodate up to 55 million passengers.
He told reporters that projections and travel forecasts show that Bali must boost its capacity to receive 32 million passengers over the next couple of years, reach 42 million soon after, and eventually reach 55 million passengers annually at maximum capacity.
Tourists traveling to Bali Airport are always advised to leave extra travel time both upon landing and upon departure.
Tourists are advised to make the most of the time-saving pre-arrival measures available to ensure a smooth arrival in Bali.
This includes applying for an eVisa on Arrival, which saves time upon landing in Bali and enables visa holders to use the automated gates, which reduce immigration processing time to just seconds.
Tourists can apply for an eVisa on Arrival via the official Indonesia Immigration website at least 48 hours prior to their flight to Bali.
However, it is highly recommended to allow at least a full working week for the application to be processed, with a margin for unforeseeable delays.
Tourists departing from Bali Airport are advised to allow an extra hour for travel to the airport, based on GPS recommendations, especially during rush hour.
Not only are there considerable traffic congestion red zones around the airport, but during peak travel times, queues for bag drop-off and immigration can also build up, even in the low season.
Slow Progress On Bali Metro System
Questions Raised Over Slow Progress On Bali Metro System As Tourist Traffic Congestion Worsens.
The project is poised to help mitigate the island’s mounting issues with traffic congestion and minimal public transportation options. Despite groundbreaking on the project over a year ago, progress on the development has become increasingly slow.
The Bali Urban Railway Network has been one of the most contentious development projects in Bali in recent years.
This, alongside the North Bali International Airport, has the capacity to completely change the island’s face, bringing transportation benefits to both local communities and the more than 7 million international tourists who visit each year.
However, the project has also attracted its fair share of criticism.
Those opposing the development raise concerns over the environmental impact of the mega-infrastructure required to create such a railway network, as well as the cost. Initial estimates suggested that a ticket for the Bali Urban Railway Network would cost at least USD 40.
This all comes on top of the fact that the project offers a long-term solution at the cost of short-term chaos.
Building the project across the central south of Bali would cause even more issues with traffic congestion in the short and medium term, and construction teams work above and below ground to establish the railway lines, stations, and other supporting infrastructure.
Data from the Bali Central Statistics Agency (BPS) in 2024 recorded approximately 3.5 million vehicles operating on the island’s 3,118 kilometers of roads. This undoubtedly increased in 2025 and will surely rise again in 2026.
In the island’s busiest tourist areas like Kuta’s Sunset Road and central Canggu, rush hour vehicle speeds even drop to the speed of a leisurely bicycle, ranging from 15–40 km per hour at best.
Of all the concerns mentioned above, the main issue raised by stakeholders in Bali right now is the alarmingly slow progress on the project.
Despite the groundbreaking ceremony taking place in September 2024, it is evident that very little visible progress has been made on the rail network.
The project is a collaboration between PT Sarana Bali Dwipa Jaya (SBDJ), a regionally-owned enterprise (BUMD) owned by the Bali Provincial Government, and PT Bumi Indah Permai (BIP).
The initiative had been set to be funded by major investors from both China and South Korea; however, there are concerns that this is the reason the project has been stalled.
The Bali Urban Railway Network was originally reported to cost USD 20 billion.
There has been speculation among local stakeholders that the project is now undergoing a redesign.
Local politicians have spoken to reporters about the scope to alter the project from the initial design technology concept, shifting from Light Rail Transit (LRT) to Autonomous Rail Transit (ART).
Bali Sentor Nyoman Suyasa told reporters, “The information I have is still about LRT. Now, news has emerged that it’s changed to ART and a change of investor. The council hasn’t received an official report yet.”
Bali-based public policy academic Dr. Efatha Filomeno Borromeu Duarte told reporters of his concerns that the project has ground to a halt at such an early stage.
He noted, “This shows a serious gap between policy and technical implementation. Groundbreaking has taken place, but actual construction has not progressed significantly.”
Adding “Reliance on private funding always carries the risk of delays if the consortium is not operationally solid.”
There have been no updates from PT Sarana Bali Dwipa Jaya (SBDJ), a regionally-owned enterprise (BUMD) owned by the Bali Provincial Government, or PT Bumi Indah Permai (BIP) in recent months, despite the fact that the first phase is set to be completed as early as 2028. The project was set to be fully operational as early as 2031.
The Bali Urban Rail Network is set to be built in four phases, the first of which is set to connect Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport with Kuta, Seminyak, Canggu’s Berawa, and Cemagi, as well as Jimbaran and Nusa Dua.
Main Article: North Bali Airport Project