It is the most wonderful time of the year! It is also the busiest time of year for travel in Bali and across Indonesia. Christmas and New Year in Indonesia are major festivals with families traveling across the country to celebrate with their loved ones.
There is also a huge influx of international tourists arriving, and here at The Bali Sun, we’ve seen more than a few Christmases in Bali. Here’s everything you need to know.
The Christmas and New Year holidays in Indonesia are referred to as Nataru, which comes from the Indonesian words for Christmas ‘Natal’ and for New Year ‘Tahun Baru’.
Every year, government agencies nationwide come together to coordinate Nataru Posts across the country, designed to monitor security and to keep people moving safely and smoothly.
These Nataru Posts are set up on major transportation routes, at airports, harbours, and bus stations. In Bali, the Nataru Posts, also referred to as Command Posts, were formally launched throughout this week and will continue working around the clock until 5th December.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation of the Ministry of Transportation has shared a forecast that shows that air travel passenger numbers will reach over 5 million for both domestic and international flights nationwide over the next two weeks, based on current flight ticket sales.
Achmad Setiyo Prabowo, who is the Secretary of the Directorate General of Air Transportation at the Ministry of Transportation, told reporters, “We project total passenger numbers during the 2025/2026 Christmas and New Year period to reach 5,050,194. This includes 3,899,176 domestic passengers and 1,151,018 international passengers.”
He noted, “In terms of numbers, the increase isn’t particularly significant, but we remain optimistic that there will be an increase in passenger mobility and movement.”
He confirmed that Bali and Jakarta airports will remain the busiest airports in the country, with the Jakarta-Denpasar service being the busiest domestic flight route over the two-week festive period, and that the Singapore-Denpasar and Kuala Lumpur-Denpasar services will be the busiest international services.
At Bali Airport, teams are ready to welcome the incoming wave of festive season passengers. I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport’s General Manager, Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, told reporters, “We have collaborated with the Transportation Agency, the I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport Police, the Indonesian Air Force, and traditional villages to support the smooth flow of vehicles to and from the airport.”
Bali “Nataru” Travel Survival Guide
Christmas and New Year (“Nataru”) is the busiest travel period of the year. Here is what you need to know to survive the rush. Click to reveal.
Peak Arrival: December 19, 2025 (Predicted ~80,000 passengers).
Peak Return: January 4, 2026 (Predicted ~79,500 passengers).
Advice: If flying on these dates, allow significant extra time for airport processing.
Bali Airport is set to welcome 1.5 million passengers over the next two weeks, averaging more than 440 flights per day. Airlines have submitted requests for an additional 150 flights.
Shahab told reporters, “The peak passenger density is predicted to occur around Christmas, namely on the 19th December 2025, with the number of passengers to be served at around 79,993 people. While the peak return flow will occur on Sunday, 4th January, with a traffic prognosis of around 79,481 passengers.“
He confirmed that teams across the airport will work together to keep everyone moving. Last year, there was havoc on Bali’s roads leading to Bali Airport around the New Year.
Dozens of airport-bound passengers, stuck in gridlock traffic, could be seen abandoning their taxi transfers to run with their luggage down the Mandara Toll Road in hopes of making it to the airport in time to catch their flight.
Teams at Bali Airport and within Bali’s Transportation sector are keen to make sure a repeat of 2024 cannot happen in 2025.
Shahab told reporters, “Cross-unit collaboration is being strengthened to maximise speed and service at key service touchpoints, ensuring service times remain manageable, particularly during peak hours when passenger, flight and vehicle traffic is likely to increase.”
He concluded, “To ensure a comfortable and smooth passenger journey amidst the surge, we’ve involved a total of more than 2,000 join personnel.”
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