TransNusa Launches Daily Direct Flights Between Bali and Phuket

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Combining Bali and Phuket in one trip just got easier. Indonesian carrier TransNusa began daily direct Bali Phuket flights on September 9, 2026, giving travelers a way to hop between Southeast Asia’s two biggest beach destinations without routing through Jakarta, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur.

What the New Bali Phuket Flights Route Covers

Flights land at Ngurah Rai International, Bali’s main airport, so there’s no extra transfer hassle on the Indonesian side. The inaugural flight on September 9 carried 174 passengers on the roughly 2.5-hour journey. TransNusa now flies the route seven days a week, making it a genuine daily service rather than a seasonal or limited schedule. TransNusa is the second airline on this specific route, after AirAsia, so travelers comparing Bali and Phuket as destinations The airline has since added another new international connection out of Bali, launching daily Bali to Melbourne flights starting October 19, 2026.

Why This Route Matters

Before direct flights existed between the two islands, getting from Bali to Phuket usually meant a connection through a regional hub, adding hours and at least one extra airport to the trip. A direct, daily 2.5-hour hop makes a genuine two-destination itinerary — say, a week on Nusa Penida followed by a week in southern Thailand — realistic without burning a full travel day on the transfer. It’s also a useful option for anyone who wants to split a longer Southeast Asia trip between Indonesia and Thailand without flying back through a major mainland hub each time.

The Bottom Line

If a Bali-and-Phuket trip was on your radar but the connections made it feel like too much hassle, this route removes that friction. With TransNusa now flying daily alongside AirAsia’s existing service, there’s enough capacity and schedule choice to build a two-island itinerary around, rather than treating the flight itself as the hard part of the trip.

Worth noting for planning purposes: TransNusa is a regional carrier, so expect a standard budget-airline baggage policy rather than a generous full-service allowance — check the fare rules when booking if you’re traveling with surf boards, dive gear, or more than one checked bag. Flight times and frequency can also shift seasonally on newer regional routes, so it’s worth double-checking the current schedule close to your travel dates rather than assuming the daily service is permanently fixed.

Sources

• RRI — TransNusa Airline Launches Daily Direct Bali-Phuket Flights Without Transit