Bandara I Gusti Ngurah Rai Bali recorded strong passenger and aircraft traffic during the 2025–2026 Christmas and New Year transportation period, serving a total of 1.4 million domestic and international passengers over 20 days of operations.
The data were recorded during the Posko Angkutan Natal dan Tahun Baru 2025/2026, which ran from 15 December 2025 to 3 January 2026. The figures were presented by Eka Sandi, representing the management of Ngurah Rai Airport, as part of an official traffic recap for the holiday period.
Passenger volume over 20 days
According to Eka Sandi, Ngurah Rai Airport averaged 70,400 passengers per day during the 20-day monitoring period. The total passenger volume combined both domestic and international travelers arriving in and departing from Bali.
“An increase of six percent compared to the daily average of passenger movements during January-November 2025 of 66,222 passengers per day,” said Communication and Legal Division Head of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Gede Eka Sandi Asmadi, in his statement, Sunday (4/1/2026).
Domestic passenger traffic during the period reached 324,839 people. This figure consisted of 297,575 arriving passengers and 27,264 departing passengers. The data indicate that domestic arrivals significantly outnumbered departures during the Nataru period.
In contrast, international passenger traffic was substantially higher, with 833,914 passengers served. This included 441,090 international arrivals and 392,824 international departures. International travelers accounted for the majority of overall passenger movements during the holiday period.
Aircraft movements exceed the annual daily average
In addition to passenger volume, aircraft traffic at Ngurah Rai Airport increased. Eka Sandi reported that the airport recorded 8,648 aircraft movements over the 20 days, including both takeoffs and landings.
This figure translates to an average of 432 aircraft movements per day. According to Eka Sandi, this daily average is approximately 11 percent higher than the airport’s average daily aircraft movements throughout 2025, which stood at around 390 movements per day.
The increase highlights higher operational activity during the year-end holiday period than under regular daily conditions.
Departures dominate final days of monitoring
Eka Sandi also noted a shift in passenger movement patterns toward the end of the monitoring period. Over the final three days, passenger traffic was driven by departures rather than arrivals.
On 3 January 2026 alone, a total of 41,763 passengers departed Bali through Ngurah Rai Airport. Of this number, 17,664 were domestic passengers, while 24,099 were international passengers.
“It indicates that the return flow has begun to occur,” added Eka Sandi.
The data show a concentration of outbound travel as the holiday period ended, particularly among international travelers.
