August 1, 2022 – Eight significant building projects have been delisted as National Strategic Projects by Indonesian President, Joko Widodo. The controversial new North Bali Airport is one of these eight projects that were shelved.
There have long been discussions about building a second international airport in Bali. A project was started to have the North Bali Airport finished and functioning by 2024. It is believed that the plan has been abandoned due to poor progress.
According to Wahyu Utomo, the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs’ deputy for coordination of regional development and spatial planning, President Jokowi has instructed officials to halt any projects that are not moving forward quickly enough.
He also stated that the North Bali Airport has been taken off the list of National Strategic Projects and is no longer a top priority. The airport may be discussed further and bids for private investment may be accepted.
North Bali International Airport planned will have a 3,600-meter runway and be able to handle large aircraft like Boeing 777s. It claims that 50 million passengers will be able to transit through the terminal buildings annually. This is significantly higher than the present tourist goals set by the Indonesian Minister of Tourism, who in this year of Covid-19 recovery has set Bali’s tourism goals as 1.5 million foreign visitors and 7 million local arrivals.
Contrary to what happened to the plan of new airport in North Bali, a funding boost is being given to Bali’s present international airport, Ngurah Rai, in preparation for the G20 Summit that will take place there in November.
Heads of state and their delegations from the 20 largest economies in the world will be welcomed to the Island of the Gods. To accommodate famous visitors, a VVIP terminal facility is being built at Ngurah Rai. The freight terminal is also undergoing renovations to improve capacity for the upcoming event.
