Representatives of Bali’s royal families and Buleleng community leaders traveled to Jakarta on Friday, July 17, 2026, to press President Prabowo Subianto to follow through on his promise to build a new airport off the northern coast of Bali, specifically in the waters off Kubutambahan, Buleleng.
The delegation met with Presidential Chief of Staff Dudung Abdurachman at his office. “Frankly, it’s been 1.5 years since he became president, and unfortunately, no decision has come down yet. We came here to collect on that promise. To hold him to it,” said Ida Cokorda Gde Putra Nindia, Chairman of the Paiketan Puri-Puri Se-Jebag Bali (an association of Balinese royal houses), following the meeting.
The Origin of the Promise
Cokorda Gde Putra explained the group first met with Prabowo in February 2024, before he became president. At that meeting, Balinese community leaders and traditional royal representatives raised concerns about development imbalance between northern and southern Bali.
“At that time, as a presidential candidate, one day before the election, we conveyed Bali’s aspirations. There is no development balance between the south and the north,” he said.
According to Cokorda Gde Putra, development in southern Bali has been extensive, while the north has seen little comparable growth, leaving local residents and younger generations without adequate job opportunities. He said young people are often forced to relocate to southern Bali or other cities to find work, leaving their families behind.
“Because there’s no development, no projects, university and tourism diploma graduates end up leaving home. They come to South Bali,” he said.
From that meeting emerged the initiative to build an airport off the coast of Kubutambahan, Buleleng. “An initiative finally emerged: how to balance North and South Bali. The answer was to open a door, a window into Bali, meaning an airport,” he said.
While concerns were initially raised that airport construction could damage existing royal heritage sites in Bali, discussions led to a proposal to select an offshore location instead.
“And subsequently, as we conveyed, Mr. Prabowo directly expressed his support for this program. He said the development program would be realized soon, with the designated location being off the coast in Kubutambahan,” he added.
Renewing the Demand
The royal representatives’ visit was intended to press Prabowo again on his airport commitment for northern Bali. “If it’s not going to happen, then say so. If it is, please expedite it. Because building an airport can’t be done in one or two years. It takes at least three to four years, maybe even five,” Cokorda Gde Putra said.
Funded by Private Investment, Not the State Budget
Cokorda Gde Putra said the offshore North Bali airport project in Kubutambahan is technically feasible and would not burden the state budget (APBN), as its financing would come from investment rather than state funds.
“The financing issue does not burden the state budget. This is purely from investment, private investment. It doesn’t burden the APBN at all,” he explained.
He also argued the airport is essential because Bali currently has only one airport, I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, despite the island’s high volume of international tourist arrivals and frequent role as a venue for international events.
“That’s why we want to balance development, not just how to balance southern development, but to build the airport that exists in the north,” he said. “So that our talented young people can return to their hometowns. No longer crowding into the congested south.”
Cokorda Gde Putra said Dudung stated he would promptly report to President Prabowo to follow up on his earlier commitment.
A First for Bali’s Royal Houses
Mapparessa, Chairman of the Nusantara Palace Fellowship Forum (Forum Silaturahmi Keraton Nusantara), said the delegation’s visit was not a request but a demand to fulfill an existing promise. He noted this marked the first time Balinese kings and traditional rulers had come to the presidential palace specifically to collect on a promise.
“As far as I remember, this has never happened before, kings and sultans coming to the Palace to demand a promise be kept,” Mapparessa said.
He affirmed that the Nusantara Palace Fellowship Forum strongly supports government programs aimed at advancing public welfare. He said that if the airport is built, the forum would work to protect and preserve it.
“So we are helping the government create balance. If the government builds the infrastructure, we support protecting, preserving, and passing down the culture,” he said.
