Prabowo Subianto Government Moves Fast to Push North Bali Airport Project

Bali traditional leaders urge the Prabowo administration to accelerate the North Bali International Airport as a key step toward reducing the island’s development gap.

GIANYAR, Bali — The Prabowo Subianto government is moving to accelerate the development of the North Bali International Airport (NBIA), with Balinese traditional leaders saying the project is essential to narrowing the economic and tourism gap between northern and southern Bali.

The call emerged during a meeting between members of Ida Penglingsir Se-Jebag Bali, a group representing Balinese traditional and royal leaders, and Presidential Chief of Staff Gen. (Ret.) Prof. Dr. Dudung Abdurachman at the Puri Blahbatuh complex in Gianyar on Wednesday, July 29, 2026.

Dudung's arrival in Bali was seen as a significant step by the Prabowo administration to follow up on its commitment to develop the North Bali International Airport in Kubutambahan, Buleleng Regency.

The proposed airport is expected to create a new economic growth center and reduce the concentration of tourism and development in southern Bali.

Regions including Buleleng, Bangli, Karangasem and Jembrana are expected to benefit from improved connectivity, investment and new economic opportunities if the airport is realized.

Pastika: Airport Must Serve Northern Bali Communities

Former Bali governor and retired National Police commissioner general I Made Mangku Pastika said he had been advocating for the project since 2015.

Pastika stressed that his support for the airport was not motivated by personal interests but by concerns over the economic conditions of communities in northern Bali.

“This struggle is not for my personal interest, but for the people of northern Bali, who are still relatively poor. Houses made of bamboo and earth, as well as living conditions far from adequate, are still experienced by communities in the north,” Pastika said.

He said the development gap between northern and southern Bali should be addressed through major infrastructure investment, including the proposed airport.

Pastika expressed hope that the project could be realized without further delay and deliver tangible benefits to northern Bali communities.

Dudung Confirms Prabowo Government's Follow-Up

Dudung Abdurachman said his visit to Bali was directly connected to efforts to follow up on the North Bali International Airport project.

“I was called by Aries, Head of the Presidential Development Control and Special Investigations Agency, Aries Marsudiyanto, to follow up on the development of the North Bali International Airport,” Dudung said.

He added that further coordination with Bali's provincial government and relevant national officials had been scheduled.

“Tomorrow, there is a scheduled meeting with the Governor of Bali, the Minister of Public Works and the Head of Bappisus,” he said.

Dudung said the airport could become an important instrument for creating a more balanced development pattern between northern and southern Bali.

His understanding of the region's development disparity is also linked to his previous military assignment in Bali. Dudung once served as commander of Company A of Infantry Battalion 741/Satya Bhakti Wirottama when he held the rank of infantry captain.

Offshore Airport Planned in Kubutambahan

The proposed North Bali International Airport is planned for Kubutambahan, Buleleng Regency, with the airport concept involving offshore development.

Supporters say the offshore design could minimize the need to acquire large areas of land and reduce the potential displacement of residential areas and sacred Balinese sites.

The airport is also expected to expand Bali's transportation capacity while creating a new gateway for tourism and investment in the northern part of the island.

The North Bali International Airport is included in Indonesia's 2025–2029 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) through Presidential Regulation No. 12 of 2025.

The regulation was signed by President Prabowo Subianto on Feb. 10, 2025.

Prabowo had previously expressed his commitment to developing the North Bali International Airport during a visit to Sanur, Bali, on Nov. 3, 2024.

*Penglingsir Responds to West Bali Airport Proposal

The discussion over the North Bali airport comes amid a separate proposal for an international airport in West Bali within the Special Economic Zone (KEK).

Anak Agung Ngurah Ugrasena of Puri Agung Singaraja, also known as Puri Gde Buleleng, said alternative proposals could be considered but should undergo comprehensive assessment.

“Proposals are certainly allowed,” Ugrasena said.

However, Ugrasena warned that the location and potential impact of a West Bali airport required careful consideration.

He argued that the proposed location is relatively close to East Java, particularly Banyuwangi, and therefore the project's social and regional impacts should be thoroughly assessed.

He also raised concerns about the proximity of the proposed development to conservation areas, protected forests, the Bali Barat National Park area and sites considered sacred by local communities.

Despite those concerns, Ugrasena emphasized that the final decision rests with the central government.

“But it should be remembered that all of this is a decision of the President, in line with his commitment and the implementation of the 2025–2029 RPJMN,” he said.

Prabowo Government Faces Pressure to Deliver

The North Bali International Airport project has increasingly been framed not merely as a transportation project but as part of a broader strategy to redistribute economic activity across Bali.

Supporters argue that a major airport in northern Bali could stimulate investment, tourism, employment and infrastructure development outside the island's heavily developed southern corridor.

The project is planned to rely on private investment financing rather than the state or regional budgets.

For Bali's traditional leaders, the central issue is no longer simply whether northern Bali needs another airport, but how quickly the Prabowo Subianto government can translate the project's inclusion in national development planning into concrete implementation.

Editor: Ray

*Penglingsir = Balinese royal elders and traditional leaders.