For the first time ever, an airport in Indonesia will be regularly receiving a scheduled flight operated by the world’s largest passenger aircraft. An Emirates A380, no less.

Emirates flying A380s to Bali

On 24 March 2023, Emirates Airline announced that it will replace one of its two daily Boeing 777-300ER services to Bali with its flagship Airbus A380-800. 1 June 2023 will mark Indonesia’s first scheduled Airbus A380 service. It will also be the first time the aircraft type is handled at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport.

The Airbus A380 will specifically be used on EK368 to Bali as well as its return flight, EK369. Emirates will be utilising its high-density two-class A380s – equipped with 58 seats in Business Class and a whopping 557 seats in Economy Class.

Sure enough, the schedule has been updated to reflect this service:

EK 368 Departs 03:25 Dubai (DXB) Arrives 16:35 Denpasar-Bali (DPS)
Non-stop | Airbus A380 (388) | Flight time 9:10 | Effective 2023-06-01

EK 369 Departs 19:40 Denpasar-Bali (DPS) Arrives 00:45 Dubai (DXB)
Non-stop | Airbus A380 (388) | Flight time 9:05 | Effective 2023-06-01

Massive upgrade for Bali-bound passengers

Whilst it is unfortunate that their First Class Suites wouldn’t be coming to Bali, it is certainly no surprise given the island’s chiefly leisure traffic. Regardless, this still amounts to a massive upgrade for passengers, given the A380’s vastly superior product in both classes.

Business Class passengers will be treated with fully-flat seats with direct aisle access. Furthermore, they’ll also gain access to Emirates’ popular onboard lounge – a feature otherwise unavailable on the Boeing 777-300ERs. Whilst Economy retains its 3-4-3 seating configuration, passengers will benefit from more space due the A380’s much wider fuselage.

Not the first A380 landing in Indonesia

Whilst these will be the first scheduled A380 flights to operate in Indonesia, it won’t be the first instance of an Indonesian airport welcoming the behemoth aircraft. That title goes to Singapore Airlines SQ232, an ordinarily routine flight from Singapore to Sydney. On May 4, 2012, the A380-operated flight made an emergency landing at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

The diversion was caused by a medical emergency concerning one of the passengers onboard. As Kompas.com reported, the aircraft successfully landed on runway 07L at 15.38 local time with 306 passengers and crew. The aircraft even had to be serviced on a remote stand due to the lack of an A380-appropriate gate. Until June 2023 at least, that flight became the only instance an A380 has landed at an Indonesian airport.

Closing thoughts

Emirates has announced that it will be bringing its flagship Airbus A380 to Bali, Indonesia. Whilst it is undeniably a huge and long-awaited milestone for Indonesian aviation, it also marks a significant inflight experience upgrade for Bali-bound Emirates passengers. In the past, Emirates had stated its desire to fly its A380s to Jakarta, but I can’t say I’m surprised that Bali will be host to the nation’s first A380 flights.