Go To Indonesia

Go To Indonesia By Air Way

Indonesia is well connected to the rest of the world by numerous airlines. Many international flights, especially those to Bali, stop first in Singapore due to runway restrictions at Bali.

Airports & Airlines

The principal gateways for entry to Indonesia are Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport (which is sometimes shown as Denpasar in schedules).

Both are in the midst of expansion and projects. Other airports with international links – albeit limited – include Balikpapan, Medan, Surabaya, Lombok and Manado.

Multiple international airlines service Indonesia.

Air New Zealand (www.airnewzealand.com)

Serves Bali and Jakarta from Australia and New Zealand.

AirAsia (www.airasia.com)

Serves a wide range of Indonesian destinations from Australia, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Singapore.

Asiana (flyasiana.com)

Serves Bali and Jakarta from Seoul.

Cathay Pacific Airways (www.cathaypacific.com)

Serves Bali and Jakarta from Hong Kong.

China Airlines (www.china-airlines.com)

Serves Bali and Jakarta from Taipei.

Emirates (www.emirates.com)

Serves Bali and Jakarta from Dubai.

Eva Air (www.evaair.com)

Serves Bali and Jakarta from Taipei.

Firefly (www.fireflyz.com.my)

Serves major cities on Sumatra from Kuala Lumpur and Penang in Malaysia.

Garuda Indonesia (www.garuda-indonesia.com)

Indonesia's main national airline serves Bali and Jakarta from Australia, Asia, and Amsterdam.

Japan Airlines (www.jal.co.jp)

Serves Jakarta from Tokyo.

Jetstar/Qantas (www.qantas.com.au)
Serves Bali and Jakarta from Australia.

KLM (www.klm.com)

Serves Jakarta and Bali from Amsterdam via Singapore.

Korean Air (www.koreanair.com)

Serves Bali and Jakarta from Seoul.

Lion Air (www.lionair.co.id)

Rapidly expanding carrier with services across Indonesia and the region. Wings Air is its regional subsidiary.

Lufthansa (www.lufthansa.com)

Serves Jakarta from Frankfurt.

Malaysia Airlines (www.mas.com.my)

Serves Bali and Jakarta from Kuala Lumpur.

Qatar Airways (www.qatarairways.com)

Serves Bali and Jakarta from Doha.

Silk Air (www.silkair.com)

Serves numerous Indonesian destinations from Singapore including Bandung, Balikpapan, Lombok, Manado, Medan, Palembang, Pekanbaru, Surabaya and Yogyakarta.

Singapore Airlines (www.singaporeair.com)

Numerous flights to Bali and Jakarta daily.

Sriwijaya Air (www.sriwijayaair.co.id)

Expanding airline with routes to Malaysia, Singapore and Timor-Leste.

Thai Airways International (www.thaiair.com)

Serves Bali and Jakarta from Bangkok.

Tiger Airways (www.tigerairways.com)

Budget carrier serving Bali, Jakarta and Surabaya from Australia and Singapore.

Virgin Australia (www.virginaustralia.com)

Serves Bali from several Australian cities.

Ticket

Check websites to get an idea of airfares to Indonesia. Don't limit yourself to major sites either; search for 'Indonesian airfares' and you may well find sites belonging to small travel agents who specialize in Indonesian travel. This can be particularly helpful when you are trying to book a complex itinerary to remote locations.

Asia Indonesia is closely linked to most of Asia. A plethora of airlines serves Bali and Jakarta.

Australia is well served with numerous direct flights to Bali and Jakarta from all major cities on multiple carriers.

Canada From Canada you'll change planes at an Asian hub for Bali and Jakarta.

Continental Europe KLM and Lufthansa link Amsterdam and Frankfurt respectively with one-stop, same-plane service to Jakarta (and Bali for KLM). But a huge number of airlines such as Emirates, Qatar Airways, and major Asian carriers, offer one-stop connections between major European cities and Jakarta, and often Bali as well.

New Zealand You can fly non-stop to Bali and Jakarta.

UK Options to fly to Jakarta and Bali from London (or Manchester) involve connecting through a major hub somewhere in the Middle East or Asia.

USA The best connections are through any of the major Asian hubs with nonstop service to Bali and Jakarta, although residents of the East Coast may find shorter routings via Europe or the Middle East. No US airline serves Indonesia.

Departure Tax

The departure tax at Indonesian airports is now almost always included in the price of the ticket.

Indonesian Airline Safety

There's no way around it: Indonesia's airlines do not have a good safety record. From 2014 to 2015 more than 350 people died in a string of aviation disasters. Flying conditions are often challenging (monsoons, volcanic eruptions etc), safety standards can be lax and the airlines themselves run in a less-than-professional manner especially as some expand very rapidly outpacing efforts to instill a safety culture.

Many Indonesian airlines remain banned by the EU (www.ec.europa.eu/transport/air-ban/list_en.htm) from its airspace because of safety concerns. Notable exceptions are Garuda Indonesia and Indonesia AirAsia.

Should you be worried? The odds of a fatal flight in Indonesia are very small, even if they are higher than elsewhere. When possible, pick a major airline over a smaller one and in really remote locations, feel free to do your own inspection of the plane and crew before you fly.

Go To Indonesia By Sea Way

There is currently no sea travel between the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia.

Australia

Major cruise lines often run cruise ships between Bali and Australia.

Timor-Leste

There are regular ferry services between Dili in Timor-Leste and Oecussi (including a new fast ferry), which borders West Timor. If crossing into Indonesia from here you will need to have organized your visa already in Dili.

Malaysia

Regular and comfortable high-speed ferries run the two-hour journey between Melaka (Malaysia) and Dumai (Sumatra). Similar ferries travel between Penang (Malaysia) and Belawan (Sumatra), taking about five hours.

From Johor Bahru in southern Malaysia, daily ferries run to Pulau Bintan in Sumatra's Riau Islands. Ferries connect Tarakan and Nunukan in East Kalimantan with Tawau in Sabah. For these routes, you'll need a visa in advance.

Singapore

From Batam, speedboats travel to Tanjung Buton with minibus connections to Pekanbaru on the Sumatran mainland. Otherwise, Pelni ships pass through Batam to and from Belawan (the port for Medan) and Jakarta.

Boats also travel between Pulau Bintan and Singapore. Service includes Bintan Resort Ferries (www.brf.com.sg).

Go To Indonesia By Land Way

There are four possible land crossings into Indonesia.

Regular buses between Pontianak (Kalimantan) and Kuching (Sarawak, eastern Malaysia) pass through the border post at Entikong. You can get a visa on arrival on this route. A crossing is possible between Lubok Antu, Sarawak and Badau, West Kalimantan provided you have a visa in advance.

The border crossing between West and East Timor (Timor-Leste) is open. Get a Timor-Leste visa in Kupang; a visa is required when traveling from East to West Timor.

The road from Jayapura or Sentani in Indonesia to Vanimo in Papua New Guinea can be crossed, depending on the current political situation. A visa is required if traveling to Indonesia.