North Bali International Airport (Indonesian: Bandara Internasional Bali Utara; commonly abbreviated as "NBIA" (some might refer this as Bali Buleleng Airport as well), is a proposed airport on the island of Bali, Indonesia, located at Kubutambahan, in the Kabupaten of Buleleng.
It is a project initiated by the Governor of Bali, Made Mangku Pastika, on 9 July 2015.
With a capacity of 32 million passengers, NBIA will be Indonesia's second largest airport and also the first floating airport in Indonesia. Built entirely on the sea, the site will be divided into two parts: the Aerotropolis and the airport.
The latter will consist of the main terminal and three boarding satellites and will have two parallel runways, a heliport and a seaport. The site will also include a cargo terminal and maintenance area.
On recent development, The Jakarta Post reported that Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan has said the central government is going ahead with its plan to develop a new airport in North Bali, although he initially said that the government preferred to expand the existing airport in Denpasar.
According to calculations, Luhut said on April 3 in Jakarta, developing a new airport in North Bali was cheaper than expanding I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in the provincial capital, particularly due to the high price of land in Denpasar.
“To develop the second runway in Denpasar, we need nearly Rp 27 trillion (US$1.89 trillion), with a projected increase in annual passenger capacity of only 10 million,” said Luhut.
Developing a new airport in North Bali would cost Rp 6.3 trillion. “If the calculations are correct, we could still develop a 7.5-kilometer toll road connecting North and South Bali [with the remaining funds],” he said, adding that the North Bali airport project also had President Joko Widodo's support.
The President said that developing the new airport would improve the welfare of the people in North Bali.
In short, herewith some backgrounds or timeline on this airport that you must at least know:
1. The groundbreaking of the airport that is located off-shore in Kubutambahan village, Buleleng, was held on August 28, 2017
2. This floating airport should utilize and produce renewable energy for water supply through a distillation process of seawater to drinkable water.
3. March 2018: Indonesia's Ministry of Transportation stated it will not prioritise the development of this "floating" airport. Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi added the government's preference is to upgrade existing facilities and construct a second runway at Bali Denpasar Ngurah Rai Airport. The new airport has been proposed by Bali's provincial government and regional business groups.
4. Sep 2017: Buleleng Regent Putu Agus Suradnyana stated the government will fully support any company with serious intentions of developing this airport, warning against companies with ulterior political motive. The airport development project is estimated to require IDR50 trillion (USD3.7 billion) with land acquisition to commence before the end of 2017.
5. Aug 2017: Bali Buleleng Airport authority, PT Bandara Internasional Bali Utara (BIBU), plans to commence construction on the proposed airport on 28-Aug-2017. BIBU submitted all regulatory documents to the government in Jul-2017 and expects to receive development permit soon.
6. Jun 2017: Bali Vice Governor Ketut Sudikerta stated the council received two EoIs to develop the proposed Bali Buleleng Airport. The government hopes both parties can collaborate and work together on the project, with Mr Sudikerta saying both companies are willing to commence construction before the end of 2017.
Source : Various sources including The Jakarta Post and CAPA
