If you’re looking for some out-of-the-ordinary Bali attractions, the abandoned airplanes in Bali might be a worthy option. There aren’t that many, but the locations are quite unusual and sometimes hard to find. And of course, finding out the real story of how these aircraft ended up in their final resting place seems like the perfect task for someone with a knack for investigating. Instead of joining the new craze of catching Pokemon, why not take a tour spotting some of these planes instead?
1. BOEING 737 in South Kuta
This old Boeing 737 can be found on the left side of Jalan ByPass Ngurah Rai about 500 meters from Benoa Square and right next to Dunkin’ Donuts. It lies there parked in a yard between houses. There are a couple of stories about why an Indonesian businessman bought it: Some say originally he bought it to turn it into a home. Others say he wanted to build it into an aviation cinema and a restaurant. The most common explanation is that he wanted to turn it into a tourist attraction of some sort but eventually ran out of money. Well, nowadays it truly is a tourist attraction, just not something you could make money out of.
2. BOEING 737 in Bukit Peninsula
This commercial jet is probably the most photographed one of the abandoned airplanes in Bali. It is located in a slightly hidden spot along Jalan Nusa Dua Selatan, a mere 5-minute drive from Pandawa Beach. It lies on private property amid a carved limestone hill. Rumour has it that it should be transformed into a cool hangout spot complete with a restaurant and a bar. Unfortunately, so far it only serves as a unique attraction and somewhere to take some pretty awesome selfies.
3. BOEING 737 in West Bali
The least visited abandoned airplane in Bali must be the final resting place of this old aircraft, which can be found in Jembrana Regency, West Bali. It lies in the middle of a big field, underneath high electric cables. There are two stories about its supposed future use: One says the field is planned to be an area with a library, restaurant, and a café, where the airplane would be the main attraction. The other, more plausible one, reasons that the airplane will be turned into a villa, as the area will become a villa complex owned by some rich company.
4. DC 10 on top of the never-opened Gate 88 Mall
This abandoned airplane, the only DC-10 in the mix, is the easiest one of these planes to spot. It rests on top of the roof of the failed Gate 88 Mall. The complex, planned to have a futuristic design and a unique theme, was supposed to consist of shops, entertainment, restaurants, a spa, and a sky lounge and be opened in Summer 2014. The developers’ money ran out, as by Summer of 2016 it mostly consisted of Arena Restaurant and empty commercial space. The airplane was originally purchased by British Caledonian Airways. They sold it to a US company, who then converted it into a cargo aircraft. Then it was sold to a Zimbabwe cargo operator, which is where the aircraft’s colors come from. Years later it was scrapped at a Jakarta airport and the stripped fuselage was transported to Bali. Now half of the fuselage is decorating the roof of the nearly empty complex at the busy traffic light junction of Jalan Raya Kerobokan and Jalan Raya Semer.
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This plane’s fuselage was first spotted in June 2016. A truck was then towing it from Surabaya’s Juanda airport towards its new home in Keramas village, Southeast Bali. The airplane was purchased from Lion Air by two Indonesian businessmen. They plan to use it, when reassembled, for educational purposes to familiarize the public with aviation. The planned final use of the plane, as with most of the others, might be as a restaurant.