Aussies favourite holiday destination is about to get slightly less desirable after the plans for the new Bali airport revealed that cheap flights will be redirected 3 hours away.
The new airport is set for construction in the northern village of Kubutambahan, which is up to 3 hours away from the current Denpasar airport.
Realistically, three hours isn’t that far to travel if you manage to cop cheap tickets to Indonesia. But that’s not the point. That six hours of travel time could be better spent with a Bintang in hand while your faux Ray-Bans mask your hangover.
Thousands of Aussies will be impacted by the new airport, which is located in the north of the island, far away from southern tourist spots like Kuta and Seminyak.
[jwplayer iwxlbyo3]
The classic “cheap trip to Bali” is potentially the cheapest, easiest, most convenient overseas holiday Aussies can take, and now it’s slightly less convenient and the bogans are NOT HAPPY.
Basically, the current airport is congested and overrun with Aussies in need of a quick vacay. The second international airport will aim to take some of the pressure away from Denpasar, which has no room for additional runways.
Indonesian Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi told the press that all “low-cost carriers” will be redirected to the north, while “normal” full-service flights remain in Denpasar.
As of 2022, roughly 70% of Australian flights to Bali will be sent to Kubutambahan, taking a huge load off Denpasar, which received nearly 1 million Jetstar travellers last year.
“Our services into Denpasar are very popular, with customers loving the convenience the airport provides to hotels, beaches and restaurants, but we are open to understanding more about the Indonesian Government’s second airport proposal,” a spokesperson for Jetstar told news.com.au.
Unfortunately, this means that you’ll probably have to fork out the extra cash for a non-budget trip if you want to fly via Denpasar.
However, it’s not all bad news.
The Indonesian Transport Minister claims that the new airport will help develop and increase tourism in the northern part of the island (the only place you can see wild dolphins in Indonesia). So you might even find a new fave holiday spot!
All Australian budget flights will be redirected to the new airport when construction finishes in 2022.
Maybe you’ll have to start splurging on a full-service flight instead of an extra 10 drinks at the bar if the new airport isn’t your ideal destination.
