TransNusa launches Bali–Phuket flights, daily service due in October

Denpasar — Indonesian carrier TransNusa has launched nonstop flights between Bali and Phuket, linking two of Southeast Asia’s best-known resort islands with a new direct service that began on Wednesday, 9 September 2026, according to multiple travel and news outlets.

The inaugural flight, numbered 8B541, departed I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali on 9 September and landed at Phuket International Airport the same day. Reports from TTR Weekly, Rawai.com and other regional travel media state that the service is operated with an Airbus A320-200 configured with 174 seats. Several outlets, including TTR Weekly and Rawai.com, also note that TransNusa has introduced an introductory one-way fare starting from IDR2,399,000, roughly US$135, bookable via the airline’s website.

Schedule and launch details

According to launch coverage by TTR Weekly, Rawai.com and other tourism news sites, the Bali–Phuket route is initially operated four times weekly, with flights on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. These sources report that TransNusa plans to increase the frequency to daily service from 3 October 2026, bringing the schedule to seven flights per week.

The published timetable cited by TTR Weekly and Rawai.com shows flight 8B541 departing Denpasar (DPS) at 11:30 and arriving in Phuket (HKT) at 14:35 local time, while the return service, 8B542, leaves Phuket at 15:35 and arrives back in Bali at 20:35. Other travel reports broadly match this pattern, describing a flight time of around four hours between the two islands.

Some Indonesian news outlets provide slightly different operational details, describing the Bali–Phuket–Bali route as running daily from launch and giving alternative inaugural timings and arrival times. These accounts also state that the first flight carried 174 passengers, matching the aircraft’s seat capacity, implying a full inaugural service.

Key schedule and fare details reported by multiple independent sources include:

• Route: Denpasar (DPS) – Phuket (HKT)
• Initial frequency: four flights weekly (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday)
• Planned daily service: from 3 October 2026
• Aircraft: Airbus A320-200 with 174 seats
• Promotional fare: from IDR2,399,000 (around US$135) one way

Statements from TransNusa representatives quoted in travel media say the route is intended to support tourism flows between Indonesia and Thailand and strengthen Bali’s role as a regional hub by adding capacity on a popular leisure corridor. The direct service allows travellers to combine Bali and Phuket in a single multi-destination holiday without transiting through intermediate hubs such as Jakarta, Singapore or Bangkok.

Wider connectivity

According to RRI.co.id and other regional coverage, the new service gives passengers a second option for direct travel between Bali and Phuket, complementing existing flights marketed by Indonesia AirAsia. Travel features and industry commentary frame TransNusa’s move as part of a broader strategy to connect Bali with other Indonesian island destinations and nearby regional gateways.

TTR Weekly and other travel outlets note that TransNusa’s Bali network includes domestic services to destinations such as Lombok, Wakatobi, Manado and Bima, while international flights link Bali with Singapore and Perth. Industry reports suggest the Bali–Phuket route positions the airline to tap growing demand for multi-country beach itineraries across ASEAN, with the upgrade to daily service in October expected to add around 700 seats per week in each direction once fully implemented.

Given minor discrepancies between Indonesian news reports and international travel media over the exact inaugural timings and whether the route operated daily from launch, travellers are advised to check the latest schedule and fare conditions directly with TransNusa or their booking channel when planning trips on the Bali–Phuket sector.

Sources

• TTR Weekly
• Rawai.com
• Bali Discovery
• The Thaiger
• Siam With Me
• Metropolitan Asia
• RRI.co.id (English service)
• Travel and Tour World
• The Traveler