BADUNG, DEWATA.NEWS – I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali has resumed full operations after a 24-hour closure during Nyepi, the island’s Day of Silence, with the first flights arriving less than an hour after reopening.
Airport authorities confirmed that operations officially restarted on Friday (March 20, 2026) at 06:00 WITA. The first arriving flight was a domestic service from Surabaya to Denpasar operated by Citilink (QG 692), which landed at 06:52 WITA.
Shortly after, an international flight from Hong Kong to Denpasar operated by Hong Kong Airlines (HX 707) arrived at 06:58 WITA, marking the return of international passenger traffic.
For departures, the first domestic flight leaving Bali was Citilink (QG 691) on the Denpasar–Surabaya route at 08:10 WITA. The first international departure followed at 09:00 WITA with Hong Kong Airlines (HX 706) bound for Hong Kong.
Communication and Legal Division Head of the airport, Gede Eka Sandi Asmadi, stated that operations have returned to normal following the Nyepi observance.
“Ngurah Rai International Airport has resumed operations at 06:00 WITA after Nyepi. The situation during the Day of Silence remained safe and orderly,” he said.
The airport was closed from 06:00 WITA on March 19 until 06:00 WITA on March 20, in line with Bali’s island-wide observance of Nyepi. During this period, all commercial flight activities were suspended.
Airport management recorded that a total of 440 scheduled commercial flights were not operated during the closure, consisting of 231 domestic and 209 international flights. Meanwhile, 19 aircraft remained parked overnight at the airport.
The temporary shutdown coincided with the Eid al-Fitr 2026 travel period, which runs from March 13 to March 30, contributing to increased passenger movement before and after Nyepi.
For international travelers, the reopening of Bali’s main airport signals the restoration of air connectivity, following one of the island’s most significant cultural observances when all flights are paused.