Bali to develop Lt. Col. Wisnu Airport for private jets, emergency landings

Bali — Bali’s provincial government is moving ahead with plans to develop Lt. Col. Wisnu Airport in Buleleng as a special-purpose airfield for private jets and emergency landings, according to local reporting and the Indonesian Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s airport database. The site is listed as Letkol Wisnu, a non-class airport under local government management, in Sumberkima, Gerokgak, Buleleng.

Local reports say the proposal is being positioned as a support facility rather than a conventional commercial airport, with functions including private aviation, emergency diversions and logistics. One report said the provincial government has also discussed involving private investors in the project.

The airport is not a new location. Official aviation data identifies Letkol Wisnu as an existing airfield with the ICAO code WADE and a status of special operation, located in Sumberkima, Buleleng, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

Planned use remains specialised

Reports on the proposal say the airport would serve private jets and emergency landings, while also being considered for logistics support. The same reporting indicates it is not being framed as a replacement for Ngurah Rai International Airport, but as a smaller specialist facility.

However, the existing airfield profile shows the site has long functioned as a special-purpose facility under local management.

Publicly available material also places the airport in Sumberkima, Gerokgak, Buleleng, which gives the project a specific northern Bali setting. That location aligns with earlier local reporting describing the airport as an airstrip in Buleleng rather than a greenfield site elsewhere on the island.

What has been confirmed

• The facility is Letkol Wisnu Airport in Sumberkima, Buleleng.
• It is listed by Indonesia’s civil aviation authority as a non-class, special-operation airport under local government management.
• Local reporting says Bali’s provincial government wants to develop it for private jets and emergency landings.
• Reporting also says the project has been discussed as a special-purpose facility that could involve private investment.

Earlier reporting on the airfield said it has been used as a special-purpose site and that redevelopment discussions have centered on expanding its role, rather than turning it into a mass-market passenger airport. The available material does not provide a confirmed construction schedule, final financing package or completed project design.

The proposal places Lt. Col. Wisnu Airport within Bali’s wider aviation planning as the province considers how to add capacity for specialised operations. For now, the clearest confirmed details are the airport’s existing location, its special-purpose status and the government’s stated interest in private-jet and emergency-landing use.

Sources

• Directorate General of Civil Aviation (Hubud) airport database
• WhatsNewIndonesia
• Bali Discovery
• Indonesia Expat