Jakarta – I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport officially serves the world’s largest Airbus A380-800 aircraft owned by Emirates airlines which is flown commercially.
The aircraft with flight number EK368 which departed from Dubai International Airport on Thursday (1/6) at 03.49 local time arrived in Bali on Thursday (1/6/2023) afternoon at 16.35 WITA carrying 482 passengers.
With the landing of the super jumbo jet, Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport made history as the first airport in Indonesia to serve the world’s largest regular commercial passenger aircraft.
Shortly after landing, the giant aircraft with a double decker body with registration number A6-EUR was greeted with a water salute procession from two PK-PPK vehicles of I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport. The passengers who got off the plane also received a festive welcome in the form of flower garlands from a number of VIP guests and Balinese welcome dances.
“We would like to welcome the Airbus A380 aircraft operated by Emirates at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali. This is a proud milestone for the aviation industry in Indonesia in general, and for AP I in particular,” said PT Angkasa Pura / AP I President Director Faik Fahmi as quoted by InfoPublik on Friday (2/6/2023).
Furthermore, with great enthusiasm, Faik Fahmi expressed his pride that I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport managed by AP I became the first airport in Indonesia to serve regular commercial flights of Airbus A380 aircraft. “We also express our appreciation to Emirates for their trust to operate this iconic aircraft to Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport,” he said.
In line with Faik Fahmi, Emirates Country Manager for Indonesia Mohammad Al Attar expressed his optimism for the operation of the A380 in Bali. “The deployment of our iconic A380 aircraft for flights to Denpasar will make a significant contribution in serving increased customer demand. We are delighted to achieve this milestone which will strengthen our operations in Indonesia, as well as future commercial plans for the Indonesian market,” he said.
The operation of the Airbus A380-800 aircraft, which has the largest carrying capacity compared to other commercial aircraft operating today, according to Faik Fahmi, is something that contributes positively to the increase in passenger traffic on international routes in Bali. “We hope that this momentum can be a catalyst for the recovery process of tourism and the economy of Bali and also nationally,” he concluded.
Not only that, the Director General of Air Transportation of the Ministry of Transportation, M. Kristi Endah Murni, was also enthusiastic and appreciated the implementation of the inaugural flight of Emirates’ largest commercial aircraft serving the Dubai route to the Island of the Gods. “It will certainly have a positive impact on Indonesian aviation and can support the improvement of the economy and tourism in Indonesia,” she said.
He explained that to welcome the arrival of the A380-800 aircraft, his party through the Region IV Airport Authority Office and all aviation stakeholders and other related parties had made preparations and checked the facilities and infrastructure both on the air and land sides.
“With a large aircraft capacity and aircraft dimensions consisting of two floors, it requires extra handling, because the equipment facilities are different from other aircraft so that flight operations and services run safely, safely and comfortably,” explained Kristi.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Region IV Airport Authority Office, Agustinus Budi Hartono added that his party had ensured the adjustment of the facilities and infrastructure needed in the operation of Emirates’ A380 aircraft.
Intensive coordination with related parties such as AP I as the airport manager, Emirates as the airline operating the A380 flight, Airnav as the air traffic controller, ground handling and other related parties to ensure facilities and infrastructure to comply with aviation safety and security provisions.
“Starting from adjusting the aircraft parking lot and its signage facilities, adjusting the capacity of the waiting room and toilet at the terminal, garbarata, refueling the aircraft, Custom, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ), readiness of the Aviation Accident Relief and Fire Fighting (PK-PPK) unit, trained officers to passenger handling procedures we have prepared properly,” Agustinus explained.
With the arrival of the A380 aircraft to Bali which carries more passenger capacity, it is certainly a great opportunity to increase the flow of foreign tourist visits to Bali, so it is expected to stimulate other flight routes to Indonesia.
For information, currently Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport serves regular commercial flights on the Dubai-Bali-Dubai route operated by Emirates with a frequency of two flights per day. The two flights were previously operated by Emirates using Boeing 777-300ER type aircraft. With the operation of the Airbus A380-800 aircraft, starting June 1 the Airbus A380-800 officially replaced the role of one of the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft to serve the Dubai-Bali-Dubai route.
Through the inaugural flight of the Airbus A380 to Bali, Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport officially became one of 53 airports in the world that serves regular commercial flights of the Airbus A380 operated by Emirates.
