OREANDA-NEWS. June 08, 2015. Emirates, a global connector of people and places, has commenced a daily nonstop service to the island of Bali in Indonesia. Flight EK 398 from Dubai arrived at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport on June 3, 2015 at 21.40 Bali time. 

On board the inaugural flight were media from the GCC, and a senior management team from Emirates. The flight also transported passengers originating from more than 40 different cities to Bali, including Moscow, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and New York, among others, demonstrating Emirates’ global connectivity. 

Bali is Emirates’ 146th global destination, adding to the airline’s route network in the Far East region, which now spans 18 destinations in 11 countries. The non-stop service between Dubai and Bali is operated by a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in a two-class configuration. 

Emirates SkyCargo now offers 294 tonnes of cargo capacity per week from Dubai to Bali and Bali to Dubai, opening up new opportunities for businesses on the island as well as for those across the SkyCargo global network. Goods carried from Bali include marine products (tuna and other fresh fish), household goods, leather goods and handicrafts mainly going to Europe, while household goods, personal effects, perishables, pharmaceuticals and automotive spares are expected to be imported, not just into Bali but also to Surabaya and Balikpapan, as well as other catchment areas. 

“Bali remains a leading tourist destination and a significantly important market for Emirates. There is high interest from across our network for flights to Bali, specifically in the leisure segment, and we are pleased to now be able to serve this demand and contribute to the island’s economic and tourism growth. We also look forward to connecting passengers from Bali to Dubai, and onward to more than 80 destinations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas via one convenient stop at our world-class hub,” said Barry Brown, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations East. 

Deputy Minister for Resource Development, Indonesian Ministry of Tourism, Prof. I Gde Pitana said, “We are delighted to welcome Emirates to Bali as we believe that the newdirect service will positively impact the Indonesian tourism sector and visitor numbers to Bali itself. The Island continues to attract tourists from around the world, and a direct route to and from Dubai with Emirates will help to increase access to other parts of the world, bringing new opportunities for travellers and businesses alike.” 

Bali, which received more than 3.7 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2014, is likely to receive a further tourism boost with the new daily direct flight from Dubai. 

On Emirates, throughout all cabin classes, passengers can enjoy more than 2,000 channels of entertainment on demand on ice, the airline's award-winning in-flight entertainment system. Passengers also have the added bonus of a generous baggage allowance with 30 kilograms for those travelling in Economy Class and 40 kilograms for Business Class. 

Emirates’ daily flight to Bali departs Dubai as EK398 at 0820hrs* and arrives at Bali’s Denpasar International Airport at 2140hrs* the same day. The return flight, EK399, departs at 2340hrs* and arrives at Dubai International Airport at 0500* the next day. 

Emirates commenced services to Indonesia in 1992 with three flights per week via Singapore and Colombo, and since March 2013, the airline has been operating three non-stop flights daily from Jakarta to Dubai with a Boeing 777 aircraft. 

 *Flight times are local and per summer scheduling