Bali’s Governor Wayan Koster has conducted a spot check at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.
The visit comes as part of an island-wide mission to improve services for tourists and ensure that security is upheld across the province.
Bali’s Governor Wayan Koster held a cross-agency meeting to discuss the services of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.
His objective was clear, as Bali Airport is the first impression of the province for international tourists, and what must be done to ensure safety, comfort, and efficiency for new arrivals.
Governor Koster emphasised throughout his visit that I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport must see improvements in ‘quality, efficiency, accuracy, safety, cleanliness, and global competitiveness standards.”
The meeting was attended by the General Manager of Bali Airport, Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, as well as the Head of Ngurah Rai Immigration, Winarko, the Head of Bali Regional Customs and Excise, Fajar Donny Tjahjadi, and the Head of the Regional Airport Authority, Cecep Kurniawan.
While Governor Koster was overall pleased with Bali Airport’s operations, he saw clear room for improvement and made orders as such. He highlighted long queues at immigration, what he described as ‘weak’ supervision of international travelers, a long baggage claims process, and long queues at customs.
The issue with the queues at customs was highlighted due to tourists not filling out their customs declaration forms online prior to arrival. Although the digital customs form has been an option for travellers to Indonesia for years now, many tourists still prefer to fill in the paper form.
The Customs Declaration can be completed online at the official Indonesian Government website, where, upon completion, travellers will be issued a QR code that can be scanned on arrival at Bali Airport, speeding up their arrivals process significantly.
Governor Koster also called for Bali Airport to crack down on illegal taxi drivers operating in the arrivals area of both the domestic and international terminals.
He was clear that the overall cleanliness of Bali Airport could be increased. He wants to see traffic congestion around entry and exit points to the airport complex tackled urgently, and to be given assurances that all emergency procedures meet international standards.
Governor Koster explained, “We can no longer operate in the same way as before. The issues of long lines at immigration, weak oversight of foreigners, lengthy baggage processing times, and suboptimal cleanliness and security must be addressed immediately.”
He added, “Ngurah Rai Airport is the face of Bali and Indonesia in the eyes of the world. All agencies must recognise this honour and work with commitment, dedication and integrity, without extortion or actions that harm tourists.”
Citing last year’s tourism figures, Governor Koster called for all airport agencies and staff to take seriously the impact the airport has not only on passengers but on Bali’s economy and the country as a whole. He noted, “These [arrival] figures contribute 66% of the total foreign tourist visits to Indonesia, which reached 13.9 million people by November 2024.”
He added, “This significant contribution must be accompanied by improvements in the quality of service at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport as Indonesia’s main gateway.”
While Governor Koster sees that there is a long way to go to ensure that I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport meets his high standards, a lot of work has already been done to ensure that the terminal buildings are accessible and comfortable for passengers.
In a recent update published on social media, Bali Airport shared, “At I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, all service users are entitled to an equal and inclusive service.” Adding “From dedicated pathways, accessible restrooms, wheelchair service, to our always-ready officers, we’re here to support Bali Airport journeys.”
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