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Bali’s tourist aircraft all carry hard seat limits — 4 on Balicopter’s Bell 505/R66, 6 on SGi Air Bali’s Bell 206L-4, 8 on Santai Seaplane’s Cessna Caravan, 2 on the Tanah Gajah balloon — and every foreign jet or helicopter charter clears three government approvals before landing. A 2027 premium-group programme is planned around those fixed numbers, not a market forecast.
Every operator flying tourists over Bali publishes — or can be checked against — a fixed passenger limit, and that number, not a guess about demand, is what a small premium group plans around. Balicopter, operating under PT Volta Pasifik Aviasi’s AOC 135, flies the Robinson R66 and Bell 505 out of its main base in Nusa Dua Selatan, Sawangan; both aircraft carry a maximum of 4 passengers, and the R66’s own FAQ page states a maximum combined weight of 330 kg including the pilot. SGi Air Bali flies exclusively the Bell 206L-4 Long Ranger IV from Benoa Heliport, seating up to 6 guests on its 12 scenic-tour routes and up to 5 on point-to-point transfers, with a BARS Gold safety certification and government photo ID required for every passenger. Santai Seaplane’s Cessna Caravan 208 EX Amphibian, based at Ngurah Rai, carries up to 8 guests and is sold only as a full-aircraft charter — there is no per-seat ticket. At the small end, the tethered hot-air balloon at Tanah Gajah, Ubud, carries a maximum of 2 adults and a combined weight limit of 150 kg per ride, rising to 50 metres and staying vertically over the resort grounds rather than travelling anywhere.
Balicopter is the only Bali helicopter operator publishing a per-seat IDR price next to a private-charter rate for the same route, which makes it the clearest public example of how the two products differ. Its 10-minute South Bali tour from Nusa Dua Heliport, over GWK, Melasti, Pandawa and the Nusa Dua coast, sells for IDR 2,290,000 per seat — or IDR 9,200,000 list (IDR 6,899,000 at the operator’s posted 25% promo) to charter the whole aircraft privately for up to 4 guests. The 20-minute “Above the Island of Gods” route, which adds Waterblow, Dreamland, Uluwatu Temple and Nyang Nyang, is IDR 4,490,000 per seat or IDR 18,000,000 list (IDR 14,299,000 promo, 20% off) chartered privately. A group of three to four travelling together pays close to the same total either way; the real difference is whether strangers can fill the remaining seats on a shared departure. SGi Air Bali and Fly Bali do not publish per-seat or charter tariffs on their own sites and quote on request, so a written quotation — not a published rate card — is the only reliable figure for those two operators. For corporate and incentive planners weighing a full charter against per-seat bookings for a delegation, the planning checklist at incentive aerial activities in Bali covers what to request from an operator before signing a contract.
Private jet movements into Ngurah Rai International Airport (WADD/DPS) route through the ExecuJet Bali FBO, on the south apron opposite the main terminal — operations began in October 2013, timed to coincide with the APEC Summit, and moved into a purpose-built terminal in late 2014, with handling that “includes customs, immigration, aircraft and passenger handling” and 24-hour service on request. But the aircraft itself needs government sign-off first. Permenhub PM 35/2021 defines Persetujuan Terbang (Flight Approval): a foreign non-scheduled commercial or general-aviation operation needs diplomatic clearance, security clearance and flight approval from the Minister of Transportation, and the regulation fixes only the Ministry’s own decision deadline — approval or rejection is issued no later than one working day before the flight, once a complete and correct application has been received. Security clearance runs on a separate track: Permenhan No. 3/2024, Article 6(1), requires the application for a foreign aircraft’s security clearance to be submitted electronically to the Minister of Defence through the Commander of the Indonesian Armed Forces (Panglima TNI), via the flight clearance information system. None of that is new for 2027, and no published rule change exists for that year. What ground handlers who process these applications describe, as practice rather than as regulation, is a turnaround that is typically several working days — planners should allow about a week for a complete package to clear all three approvals. An agent may file on a foreign operator’s behalf under PM 35/2021, and a booking built backward from a confirmed event date should treat that week as a fixed line item, not a buffer to shave.
On Wednesday 6 August 2025, Satpol PP Badung summoned four paragliding operators in Desa Kutuh after videos of flights over Pura Gunung Payung circulated online, according to NusaBali’s 7 August 2025 report. Two of the four held current permits — Gunung Payung Paragliding, a BUMDA Desa Adat Kutuh business unit, and PT Anugerah Langkah Makmur — and continued operating; the other two lacked a NIB, SOP or NPWPD and signed a statement to halt operations temporarily, under Peraturan Daerah Provinsi Bali No. 5/2023 on public order (Pasal 23 ayat 8 huruf a). That single enforcement action is public confirmation that Badung authorities do check paragliding licensing on the ground, not only on paper. For a 2027 booking, “does this operator hold a current permit” is worth asking every time a flight is arranged, not a box ticked once and forgotten.
| Activity | Typical Booking Unit | Best Fit For A Premium Group |
|---|---|---|
| Tandem paragliding (Bukit Peninsula) | One passenger per tandem pilot | Individual guests booked in parallel slots, not a single shared aircraft |
| Parasailing (Tanjung Benoa only) | Sold per rider, one boat pass at a time | Rotating guests through the same boat across a morning session |
| Helicopter — private charter (Balicopter R66/Bell 505) | Up to 4 seats, 330 kg combined on the R66 | A single VIP group of three to four guests on one confirmed charter |
| Helicopter — larger aircraft (SGi Air Bali Bell 206L-4) | Up to 6 seats on scenic tours, 5 on transfers | Small executive groups who want to stay together in one aircraft |
| Seaplane charter (Santai Seaplane Cessna Caravan) | Up to 8 seats, charter-only, no per-seat ticket | A six-to-eight-guest group flying together to Gili or on a scenic Bali route |
| Tethered hot-air balloon (Tanah Gajah, Ubud) | Maximum 2 adults, 150 kg combined per ride | Couples or paired guests, run as sequential rides for a larger group |
| Private jet charter (via ExecuJet FBO) | Aircraft-dependent, broker-quoted | Point-to-point movement for the group’s principals ahead of the main programme |
| Item To Confirm | Why It Matters For A Small Group | Ask The Operator For, In Writing |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft or activity capacity | A private charter for three to four guests needs the right aircraft booked, not a per-seat product mixed with strangers | Named aircraft/model and maximum guest count for that specific charter |
| Insurance coverage | Tandem paragliding, parasailing and Balicopter all state insurance is included; other charter operators vary | A written statement of what is covered and for whom |
| Weather and rescheduling policy | The Tanah Gajah balloon will not fly above 5 knots of wind or in rain; paragliding, parasailing and helicopter flights are also weather-dependent, with the pilot or operator making the final call | The refund-or-reschedule policy if weather cancels the activity |
| Briefing and check-in time | Fly Bali asks for a 45-minute check-in and 72 hours’ advance booking; Balicopter asks guests to arrive 20 minutes early for its mandatory pre-flight safety briefing | Exact check-in time and briefing duration, to build into the day’s schedule |
| Age and weight limits | Limits vary by activity and operator — Tanjung Benoa parasailing operators cap participants between 100 kg and 150 kg depending on the provider | Confirmed minimum age and maximum weight per guest |
None of the seat counts or approval timelines above are a guarantee of price, availability or weather on any single day. Bukit Peninsula paragliding runs roughly April to October on the south-facing sites and roughly November to March on the Uluwatu cliffs, per operator season notes, and every aerial activity in Bali is subject to a final weather call made by the pilot or operator on the day — Tanjung Benoa’s watersport association has described closures ranging from one to two hours up to a full day when wind or swell crosses the operator’s own safety threshold. That is exactly why the numbers in this piece matter more than a seasonal calendar: a group of six booked onto a 4-seat R66, or a jet cleared with only three working days left before a confirmed event date, is a planning error no amount of good weather fixes.
The working sequence for a small premium group is the same regardless of which activity leads the day. Confirm the named aircraft or boat and its hard passenger limit first, because that number decides whether the group splits across two bookings or fits in one. Confirm the approval or permit status second — a current NIB/SOP/NPWPD for a paragliding operator, or a filed PM 35/2021 and Permenhan No. 3/2024 package for a jet or foreign helicopter — because that status, not the marketing page, is what a spot-check by Satpol PP Badung or the aviation authorities will ask for. Confirm weather and rescheduling terms third, in writing, so a shifted window doesn’t become a dispute on the day. None of this is a forecast; it is a checklist built from the fixed numbers each operator already publishes or can confirm on request.
PM 35/2021 lets the Ministry of Transportation issue flight approval as late as one working day before departure, but that step only starts once diplomatic clearance, Permenhan No. 3/2024 security clearance and the ExecuJet Bali FBO booking are filed together. Ground handlers processing these applications describe about a week, in practice, for the full three-approval package — build that week into any 2027 date as a fixed line item.
Balicopter’s Bell 505 and Robinson R66 cap out at 4 passengers with a 330 kg combined weight limit; SGi Air Bali’s Bell 206L-4 seats up to 6 on scenic tours and 5 on transfers; Santai Seaplane’s Cessna Caravan charters the whole aircraft for up to 8 guests with no per-seat ticket. A group larger than 8 needs two aircraft, not one bigger booking.
Yes, but unevenly. Satpol PP Badung’s 6 August 2025 sweep in Desa Kutuh, reported by NusaBali, found only two of four operators approached held current permits — Gunung Payung Paragliding and PT Anugerah Langkah Makmur — while two lacked a NIB, SOP or NPWPD and signed a statement to stop flying. Asking to see an operator’s current permit before booking is a reasonable, worthwhile question for any 2027 flight.
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