Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport Renovations Finally Begin

by Barrie | November 23rd, 2010   Tweet

No doubt many of you could name a few things that are badly in need of change at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport; those things that really annoy you. I could name quite a few – the hard seating in the departure lounge that make your bum ache, the lack of budget-priced eateries, the early closure of shops when you are on a late-night flight and the high prices. But hey, it’s Bali and they gotta make a buck!
And, we have all seen the disruptions in the airport of late caused by minor renovations. There is a reason, however, for all of that. Extensive renovations of Bali Ngurah Rai Airport are now set to commence next month. Apparently it is considered a top priority for this development considering the increasing amount of air traffic.
The article in the Bali Discovery explains further and according to it, the renovations are sorely needed due to rapidly expanding tourism arrivals and the under-capacity of Bali’s airport that now handles more than 10 million travellers each year.
I often ask myself why the sudden urgency as nothing is done in Indonesia without a cause. Indeed I was correct: an acceleration in the renovation of the airport is being done at the express orders of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who wants the work completed in time for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit (APEC) in 2013.
Let’s just hope they put in recliner rockers in the departure lounge and add a couple of kaki lima and cheap warungs while there at it!

The Annoyance of Airport Taxis

by Barrie | November 3rd, 2010   Tweet

We all know how it works at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport if you want a taxi. Go to the taxi counter, tell him your destination and he will give you a price and then you are ushered off to one. Alternatively, you could take your chances with one of the touts offering their services and travel by bemo or private car. However, these can be a hassle, and costly.
My bitch is that you cannot get into a taxi that has just arrived at the airport dropping off travellers. Why? Because there is a monopoly at the airport and it is tightly controlled. So, if you want to obtain a taxi without paying the sometimes exuberant charges, then you have to walk virtually out of the airport grounds and hail a taxi leaving the airport area.
I read an interesting article in the Bali Discovery about illegal taxi operations in the airports around Indonesia and although deemed illegal, the old practices still remain. Apparently, Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport is one of them. It seems, according to the article, a similar practice persists in Bali where taxis not owned by a Koperasi Taxi Ngurah Rai Bali are not allowed to pick up arriving passengers from the airport. The Bali taxis operate without meters and charge a set tariff specified destinations across Bali.

Photo of the Day: Selaparang Airport, Lombok

by Barrie | October 20th, 2010   Tweet

I have been travelling around the archipelago of Indonesia for quite a few decades now and subsequently you get to see [and spend time in] a lot of domestic airports. Some are, oddly enough, elaborate, well appointed with a range of shops and eateries and there are those airports that are not too short of being a tin shed in a paddock. It’s not my style to rubbish airports or their services nor do I ever intend to.
One airport, Selaparang in Lombok, was one of the craziest yet delightful as well as being incredibly small with very little on offer regards shops and eateries. The last time I passed through there not so long ago it was an enjoyable experience, to say the least.
Although small in size it is amazing the amount of people traffic that travels through there and still maintains the ease of accommodating them all while they wait. Selaparang Airport also has one of the nicest views when coming into land or leaving the airport. The new international airport being established in the south of Bali will no doubt be much bigger and elaborate, but hey, give me the little airport lounges any day!

Photo of the Day: Selaparang Airport, Lombok

a lot of domestic airports. Some are, oddly enough, elaborate, well appointed with a range of shops and eateries and there are those airports that are not too short of being a tin shed in a paddock. It’s not my style to rubbish airports or their services nor do I ever intend to.

One airport, Selaparang in Lombok, was one of the craziest yet delightful as well as being incredibly small with very little on offer regards shops and eateries. The last time I passed through there not so long ago it was an enjoyable experience, to say the least.

Although small in size it is amazing the amount of people traffic that travels through there and still maintains the ease of accommodating them all while they wait. Selaparang Airport also has one of the nicest views when coming into land or leaving the airport. The new international airport being established in the south of Bali will no doubt be much bigger and elaborate, but hey, give me the little airport lounges any day!

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