Bali's most high-profile plane isn't a slick Airbus at Ngurah Rai International Airport. Instead, it is an abandoned Boeing 737-200 parked in a field near Pandawa Beach. Just how and why the Boeing ended up here is a mystery many have tried to solve. Equally mysterious is why Bali has become a hotspot for abandoned planes.

Formerly a Mandala Airlines jet

According to data from ATDB.aero, the Boeing 737-200 seen above was built in October 1982. The following March, it entered service with Arkia Israeli Airlines, before Dan-Air London by the end of the year. After nearly a decade flying as G-BLDE, the twinjet left the British carrier in November 1992. This was when British Airways acquired Dan-Air, absorbing it into its Gatwick operations.

In March 1993, the 737-200 went to Mandala Airlines as PK-RII. This Indonesian low-cost carrier was based in Jakarta, and it rebranded itself as Tigerair Mandala in 2011. Three years later, in 2014, it ceased operations after its shareholders stopped providing the airline with funding. By this time, PK-RII had already departed.

The exact date when the 737-200 in question ceased flying for Mandala Airlines is unclear, with ATDB listing it as being November 2007. Meanwhile, ch-aviation.com offers February 2008 as the date when this happened. In any case, it wasn't until several years later that the well-traveled aircraft ended up where it is now.

9 years in the quarry

PK-RII was moved to its present site, a former quarry, in March 2013. The new owner, who is allegedly an Australian, reportedly proposed converting the old plane into a tourist attraction. While PK-RII attracts plenty of attention and visitors, it probably isn't the type of tourist attraction the owner had in mind.

Another mysterious aspect that enchants visitors is just how the aircraft got into the quarry. Indeed, it isn't the sort of item you could just throw onto the back of a truck in bring in unnoticed. Simple Flying knows the logistical challenges of such operations all too well, having interviewed Johnny Palmer, who transported a Boeing 727 fuselage from Kemble to Bristol by road, last year.

Rumor has it that the plane came into the quarry in parts and was reassembled there before the new owner ran out of cash and/or interest. Onsite security keeps people away from the plane, but there are plenty of vantage points just off-site. The online tip is to climb onto the shipping containers bordering the property.

A second abandoned Boeing 737 in Bali

PK-RII is not the only old Boeing in Bali that's left the airport precinct. Another Boeing 737-300 is at Kedonganan, next door to a Dunkin' Donuts - handy if you like to eat while sightseeing. The aircraft is a former Sriwijaya Air jet (registration PK-CKM) that was involved in a runway excursion accident in Yogyakarta and was written off as damaged beyond repair.

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According to a Bali-based blog, "a guy from Jakarta named Arif" owns the plane. Specifically, Bali Arrangements reported in 2020 that:

"He bought it in Jakarta and had it dismantled, then loaded into four shipping containers and transported it here in 2015. It’s been sitting up on stilts ever since. The long-term plan is to turn it into a restaurant and flight simulator eventually. Apparently, Arif has a 10-year lease on the land, but he needs an investment partner before he can start renovating the plane."

In the meantime, Arif's onsite muscle charges tourists to climb onboard (via a ladder) to take photos.

More abandoned jets in Bali and further afield

If two abandoned planes don't satisfy you, there is the fuselage of an old British Caledonian Airways McDonnell Douglas DC-10 parked on the roof of the Gate 88 Mall just to the north of Kuta. The mall never opened, but reportedly onsite security will give access if asked nicely and appropriately remunerated.

If you are really keen, there is also an abandoned Boeing 737-200 in a field in Jembrana in West Bali. While the plane is locked up, tourists can climb onto the wings and get up close. The field is under threat from residential development, so how long the plane lasts there is anyone's guess. Of course, Bali isn't the only place in Asia with abandoned aircraft present.

Indeed, India is also home to a selection of aircraft that have been left alone after making their final flights. These include a Boeing 720 in Nagpur and a McDonnell Douglas MD-83 in Raipur, both of which Simple Flying investigated last year.

What do you make of Bali's various abandoned aircraft? Have you ever visited one of these sites yourself? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!

Source: Bali Arrangements