Hey there, adventure seekers! Guess what? You can now hop on a direct flight from Delhi to Bali, all thanks to Vistara Airlines making our travel dreams come true. The very first flight touched down in Bali on December 1, 2023, and we’re here to spill the beans on what this means for anyone dreaming of an easy-breezy Bali escape.
Vistara’s first flight, cruising in with an Airbus A321LR and rocking the cool flight number UK145, landed in Bali at 10:52 AM local time. Taking off from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport at 01:12 AM local time, the flight carried 185 excited travelers, as per the flight manifest.
The director of the airport couldn’t contain their excitement, saying, “Big welcome to Vistara! After a long wait, Bali is now directly hooked up with India through Vistara’s maiden flight. This is like a cool moment in the airport’s history books, and the flight we’ve all been waiting for is finally a reality today.”
This flight route opening is like a breath of fresh air for Bali’s tourism. Back in 2019, before the pandemic hit, Indian tourists were Bali’s third-biggest fans after Aussies and Chinese visitors.
“At that time, you had to take connecting flights; there was no direct flight from India to Bali. With this new direct flight, we’re hopeful it’ll bring more Indian folks to enjoy Bali,” shared the airport director, crossing fingers for a tourism boost.
The airline big shots also shared their excitement, “Bali is a hot pick for Indian travelers, and we’re thrilled to be the only ones zipping between Delhi and Bali with this direct flight. With India and Indonesia being besties in trade and culture, Bali has quickly become the go-to spot for business and all kinds of events!”
The Delhi-Bali-Delhi flights are a daily affair now. For the Delhi-Bali route, flight UK145 sets off from Delhi at 00:30 AM local time and lands in Bali at 11:05 AM Bali time. The way back, covered by flight UK146, kicks off in Bali at 12:10 PM Bali time, landing in Delhi at 5:45 PM local time.
And just like that, with Vistara making it official, the I Gusti Ngurah Rai Bali Airport is now playing host to 37 international flight routes handled by 37 airlines.
Fun fact: Tourists from India were a big part of Bali’s scene, taking the third spot with 377,543 visitors in 2019, contributing to 9% of the total foreign visitors who landed in Bali via the airport, a whopping 6,298,852 travelers in 2019, according to the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office data. So, who’s up for a Bali fiesta?