Cheap flights to Indonesia

From the beaches of Bali to the ancient temples of Yogyakarta, the unique sealife in Raja Ampat to the soaring volcanoes on Java, Indonesia isn’t just incredibly diverse; it’s massive! And knowing where to fly, how to get the best deal on flights and understanding the landscape will make planning your trip a whole lot easier. That’s why we put together this guide featuring everything you need to know about flying to Indonesia from Australia.

How long is the flight to Indonesia?

It depends where you’re going, of course! Direct flights from Australia are only available to a few key cities in Indonesia: Jakarta, Bali (Denpasar) and Lombok. To get elsewhere, you’ll need to catch a connecting flight or land transfer. Luckily, plenty of both are readily available.

When flying direct, here’s the approximate length of the flight to a few Indonesian destinations from other major cities. Of course, depending on the weather and whether you end up on a connecting flight, these times may be longer.

Direct flights to Bali

• Adelaide to Bali – 5 hours, 10 minutes
• Brisbane to Bali – 6 hours, 5 minutes
• Cairns to Bali – 4 hours, 40 minutes
• Darwin to Bali – 2 hours, 40 minutes
• Melbourne to Bali – 6 hours, 5 minutes
• Perth to Bali – 3 hours, 45 minutes
• Sydney to Bali – 6 hours, 25 minutes

Direct flights to Jakarta

• Melbourne to Jakarta – 7 hours, 15 minutes
• Perth to Jakarta – 4 hours, 30 minutes
• Sydney to Jakarta – 7 hour, 45 minutes

Where are the main airports in Indonesia?

Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport are the two busiest airports in the country based on passenger numbers. They’re also the two with the most frequent flights from Australian cities.

If you’re looking to explore the island of Java (which includes Mount Bromo and Yogyakarta), flying via Jakarta will likely be your best option.

For those heading beyond Bali to islands such as Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, the Gili Islands and even Lombok (except for those from Darwin), travelling via Bali and transferring by boat is probably the easiest way.

Either city will also have flights to spots like Labuan Bajo (for Komodo) and Sorong (for Raja Ampat), making connections easy.

How early to arrive at the airports for Indonesian flights

Flying to Indonesia from Australia

If you’re flying to Indonesia on a direct international flight, you’ll want to arrive about three hours early to ensure you have enough time to check in, check bags, go through customs and pass security. 

Flying within Indonesia

If you’re flying from one city in Indonesia to another, you’ll only need to arrive at the airport about an hour before. Just keep in mind that traffic in places like Jakarta and all over Bali can be pretty heavy, so leave plenty of time to get there so you don’t miss your flight.

Which airlines fly to Indonesia from Australia

Although there’s dozens of major airports dotted across Indonesia’s 17,500 islands, there’s only three destinations that you can currently fly to direct from Australia: Denpasar (Bali), Jakarta (Java) and Mataram (Lombok).

Direct flights to Bali

• Jetstar: Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
• Qantas: Melbourne, Sydney
• Virgin Australia: Adelaide, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Sydney
• AirAsia: Cairns, Darwin, Perth
• Batik Air: Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
• Citilink: Perth
• Garuda Indonesia: Melbourne, Sydney
• TransNusa: Perth

Direct flights to Jakarta

• Garuda Indonesia: Melbourne, Sydney
• Qantas: Sydney
• Batik Air: Perth

Cheapest time to fly to Indonesia

Seasonality varies a bit depending on where you’re travelling in Indonesia, but in general, it’s best to avoid travelling during peak periods in Australia as there will be more demand for flights from here which will drive prices up. Skip travelling during school holidays and around Christmas and New Year’s.

Locally, the wet seasons are when things tend to be the quietest due to less demand and therefore the cheapest. This means visiting:

• Jakarta: November to March (excluding Christmas/New Year’s)
• Bali: November to March (excluding Christmas/New Year’s)
• Lombok: November to March (excluding Christmas/New Year’s)

Of course, you will want to consider what time of year is best for you. You may want to pay slightly more to have a better chance of nice weather, and in that case we’d recommend travelling a month or two outside of the windows mentioned above.

Tips for finding cheap flights to Indonesia

• Be flexible with your dates: Whether it’s the month or the day of the week, a little flexibility can save you a lot. We feature data on all of our flight route pages that show the cheapest months available to fly. Plus, when searching, we’ll show prices within five days of your original date to show you if prices are any cheaper.
• Know when promotions and sales are on: If you’re not in a rush to book, hold out for major sale periods like End of Financial Year (EOFY), Black Friday and Boxing Day.
• Fly mid-week: Fares tend to be the cheapest on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday when compared to weekend departures.

Visa requirements for Indonesia

Australians do require a visa to visit Indonesia, but luckily this can be sorted on arrival at the airport in Jakarta, Bali and Lombok. It’s currently about AU$50 (IDR500,000). The line ups can be a bit long sometimes, so we’ve tried to make things easier for travellers with a fuss-free visa option for Australians.

Popular destinations in Indonesia

With thousands of islands to explore, there's plenty of airports scattered around the country too. Here are a few of the most popular destinations that Australians visit in Indonesia:

• Flights to Bali (Denpasar)
• Flights to Jakarta
• Flights to Lombok
• Flights to Surabaya
• Flights to Makassar
• Flights to Medan
• Flights to Yogyakarta
• Flights to Labuan Bajo
• Flights to Semarang
• Flights to Raja Ampat