Bali, Indonesia to Australia, 24/7
Air Ambulance Bali to Perth
Bed-to-bed transfers with a medical team on board and ground ambulances at both ends. About 3.5 hours nonstop. No fuel stop, and Bali and Perth share a time zone.
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- Distance
- About 2,580 km
- Flight time
- About 3.5 hours nonstop
- Typical aircraft
- Learjet or Hawker 800
- Fuel stop?
- No. Even a light jet flies this route in one leg.
Denpasar (DPS) to Perth (PER). Times are planning estimates and change with winds, aircraft and the patient's needs.
What is involved in getting a patient from Bali to Perth?
For Western Australians, Bali is closer than Sydney. That short distance is what makes Bali to Perth the simplest of the international air ambulance routes we arrange: one flight, no fuel stop, and no time difference at all.
It also means we have more options than on most routes. A patient who would need a long-range jet to reach the east coast can usually come home to Perth in a smaller, less expensive aircraft, or on a scheduled flight with a nurse.
How long is the flight, and does it need a fuel stop?
At about 2,600 kilometres, Denpasar to Perth is well within the range of a Learjet or Hawker 800 carrying a full medical crew and equipment. Flight time is about three and a half hours, and the patient clears the Australian border on arrival in Perth.
Bali and Perth both sit on UTC+8, and neither uses daylight saving. When the Bali doctor says the patient is ready at 9 am, it is 9 am for the Perth admitting team too, which makes doctor-to-doctor calls and timing the arrival straightforward.
Because the leg is short, we rarely need to compromise on cabin altitude. For patients who need a lower cabin pressure, such as some head injuries or air trapped in the chest, the aircraft can fly lower without the fuel penalty forcing a stop.
Why do Australians need to come home from Bali?
FIFO workers on rostered leave
Many fly-in fly-out workers holiday in Bali between swings. When they are injured, employers and insurers want them back in Perth for treatment and a return-to-work plan.
Scooter crashes and surf injuries
Broken limbs, collarbones and head injuries from scooters and surf breaks around Canggu and Uluwatu.
Family holidays with children
Children with severe gastro, dengue or a broken arm needing surgery, where parents would rather the operation happened at Perth Children's Hospital.
Older travellers with heart or lung problems
Pneumonia, heart rhythm problems and heart attacks in retirees who visit Bali several times a year.
Can you arrange the ambulance and hospital at both ends?
Yes. The transfer is planned bed to bed, so the family doesn't have to organise anything at either end.
In Bali
Patients are usually at the private hospitals in the south of the island or at Prof. Ngoerah Hospital in Denpasar. Some start at clinics in Ubud or on the Gili Islands and Nusa Penida, where the first step is a boat or road transfer to a Denpasar hospital.
The treating doctor provides a current report. A Bali ambulance takes the patient from the ward to the aircraft at Ngurah Rai Airport, timed around the airport's often heavy traffic.
In Perth
Perth receiving hospitals include Royal Perth, Fiona Stanley, Sir Charles Gairdner, Perth Children's Hospital and the private hospitals. We confirm acceptance and a bed before the aircraft departs Bali.
A road ambulance meets the aircraft at Perth Airport for the drive to the hospital, where the flight team hands over in person.
Does the patient need an air ambulance?
Bali to Perth has frequent direct flights of about three and a half hours, so a nurse escort on a scheduled flight is a realistic option for many stable patients. It needs the airline's medical clearance, and an airline stretcher, where offered, books out quickly.
What documents are needed from Bali to Perth?
The paperwork for Bali to Perth is the core set for any international transfer: passport, an English medical report from the treating doctor, and insurance details. Because the flight is short and there is no stop, the patient clears the Australian border once, in Perth.
For FIFO workers, we also ask for the employer contact and any workers' compensation or income protection claim number, since the Perth hospital and the employer's case manager will both want them. If a passport was lost in an accident, the Australian Consulate-General in Bali can issue an emergency travel document.
FAQ