Bomb and hijack claim sent Indonesia's second-busiest airport searching two boarded flights
Bali's main airport searched two boarded international flights after a message falsely warned that a woman was carrying a bomb and planned to hijack a departing plane.
Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali received a threatening message via WhatsApp on August 2nd, reporting a woman with a homemade bomb aboard two international flights. The alert, sent from an unidentified sender known only as EPD, was initially sent at 9:58 p.m. However, it took until 12:44 a.m. on August 3rd for airport security to receive the message, nearly three hours after it was initially sent.
The airport swiftly activated its highest alert level, Siaga I, and initiated a joint search by aviation security, police, and military personnel focusing on the two flights with passengers already aboard. Despite the false alarm, the airport reported that flights and passenger services continued normally. Ngurah Rai, Indonesia's second-busiest airport after Soekarno-Hatta near Jakarta, handled 24,125,161 passengers in 2025, with 63% of those on international routes.
Criminal investigators began their follow-up procedures immediately after the initial report and have summoned those who received the false message. The airport spokesperson emphasized that circulation of false threat information is a serious offense under Indonesian law, carrying criminal penalties.
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