No airline or charter has published a fixed fare for a seaplane transfer to Gili Trawangan as of September 2026, because no scheduled seaplane service operates on this route yet. A private seaplane charter, if arranged, would be quoted per aircraft rather than per seat, and would likely start well above the cost of any boat option below.
Why Isn’t There a Published Seaplane Fare for Gili Trawangan Yet?
Search for a Lombok-to-Gili seaplane ticket price and you will not find one, because the route does not exist yet as a bookable product. Research compiled from Perplexity-sourced reporting dated 17-18 September 2026 found no scheduled, publicly advertised seaplane network serving the Lombok-Gili corridor, covering Trawangan, Air and Meno, or Mandalika. Every citable passenger option on this stretch of water today is a boat, paired with a land transfer where needed.
The closest thing to a commercial seaplane brand showing up in search results is Santai Seaplane Indonesia, which lists a Bali-Lombok charter page. That company is a separate, independent operator with no affiliation to this site, and its Bali-Lombok product is not the same offering as a dedicated Lombok-Gili hop, so its pricing, if published, would not apply here.
There is a real infrastructure story behind the interest, though, and it is worth understanding before you budget around it. NTB’s provincial government and PT Aman Air signed a memorandum of understanding, reported 28 February 2026, to prepare a seaplane waterbase at Bendungan Batujai in Central Lombok. The plan names amphibious flights to five NTB island destinations, Gili Trawangan among them. The same report is explicit that take-off and landing permits for Gili Trawangan itself had not been issued, because the island sits inside a conservation area. Separately, NTB tourism news dated 27 December 2025 said flights linking Lombok’s international airport, BIZAM, to small islands were being prepared to start sometime in 2026. Neither report includes a fare, a schedule, or an aircraft type. Anyone quoting a firm 2027 network timeline or price today is projecting, not reporting a confirmed plan.
How Would a Seaplane Charter to Gili Trawangan Be Priced, If One Existed?
Assume for a moment that a licensed operator did offer a Lombok-Gili hop tomorrow. Seaplane transfers in Indonesia are typically sold as private charters, priced per aircraft for the whole flight rather than per passenger seat, the way a car charter is priced differently from a shared public bus. That structure matters because it means the cost question does not have one clean answer; it has a quote, built from several line items that change trip to trip.
Indonesia’s Ministerial Regulation on Water Aerodromes, issued August 2025, adds structural cost to any future operation on this corridor. It requires seaplanes to follow shipping-sector rules while on the water, to coordinate with coastal radio stations and vessel traffic services, and to hold an operational coordination agreement with AirNav Indonesia and maritime units. Water aerodromes themselves must be certified or registered before use. ICAO’s own guidance treats a seaplane as a vessel while it is on the water and as an aircraft while it is in the air, meaning two separate regulatory regimes, not one, apply to a single flight. None of that produces a public price today, but it does explain why any eventual fare would sit well above a comparable boat ticket.
Here is what would typically go into a private seaplane charter quote, based on how charter flights are structured elsewhere in Indonesia and globally.
| Cost driver | Why it affects the quote |
|---|---|
| Aircraft type and seat count | A charter is priced per aircraft; fewer passengers sharing the flight means a higher cost per person |
| Positioning flight | If the aircraft has to fly empty from its base to pick you up, that leg is usually built into the price |
| Water aerodrome fees | Certified/registered water aerodrome use and coordination costs under the 2025 Water Aerodrome regulation |
| AirNav and maritime coordination | The mandatory operational coordination agreement referenced in that regulation adds administrative overhead |
| Weather contingency | Operators typically price in the risk of delay or cancellation windows (see below) |
| Season and demand | Peak dry-season weeks historically command higher charter rates across Indonesia |
If you want to compare that against what an already-priced, cross-island seaplane product costs in Indonesia today, see Lombok Gili seaplane prices for the current state of published rates on comparable routes.
What Do Boats to Gili Trawangan Cost Today?
While a seaplane fare stays theoretical, the boat market on this route is well documented and worth using as your budget anchor. Public boats from Bangsal Harbour to Gili Trawangan run about IDR 20,000 per person, a roughly 40-minute crossing; Gili Air is about IDR 15,000 and 20 minutes, Gili Meno about IDR 18,000 and 30 minutes. Fast boats departing Teluk Nare cost IDR 85,000-150,000 per person, roughly US dollars 5 to 9, with a 10-15 minute crossing, the quickest public option on the whole corridor.
For a private boat, Bangsal to any Gili is commonly listed at IDR 550,000 per boat, not per person, which usually beats a seaplane on both speed of booking and total cost when you are travelling in a small group. A private Gili Air-to-Teluk Nare or Kodek run is listed around IDR 450,000. Inter-Gili hops and Gili-to-Bangsal fast-boat fares generally sit in the IDR 100,000-150,000 range, though morning services from Gili Air to Trawangan can run indirect, so check the routing before booking a tight connection.
| Route | Mode | Fare | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bangsal → Gili Trawangan | Public boat | ~IDR 20,000/person | ~40 min |
| Bangsal → Gili Air | Public boat | ~IDR 15,000/person | ~20 min |
| Bangsal → Gili Meno | Public boat | ~IDR 18,000/person | ~30 min |
| Teluk Nare → any Gili | Fast boat | IDR 85,000-150,000/person | 10-15 min |
| Bangsal → any Gili | Private boat (per boat) | ~IDR 550,000 | ~15 min |
| Gili Air → Teluk Nare/Kodek | Private boat (per boat) | ~IDR 450,000 | — |
| Inter-Gili / Gili → Bangsal | Fast boat | IDR 100,000-150,000/person | Varies |
If you are coming from Bali rather than starting on Lombok, private charter boats run Padang Bai to Gili from IDR 3,500,000 for one to six passengers, and Sanur to Gili from IDR 4,500,000, both priced per boat, the same per-trip logic a seaplane charter would follow. Scheduled Bali-Gili fast boats are considerably cheaper per seat: Padang Bai departures, running 08:00 through 15:00, cost IDR 250,000-350,000, Sanur departures cost IDR 350,000-450,000 over a 3 to 3.5 hour crossing, and Serangan departures cost IDR 400,000-500,000. Individual operators vary: one Gili Trawangan-to-Sanur seat has been listed around IDR 400,000, another quotes adult fares near IDR 500,000 with hotel pickup included in Kuta, Seminyak or Sanur, and Marina Srikandi’s published range runs IDR 375,000-700,000 per adult.
Is a Future Seaplane Worth Waiting For, or Should You Book a Boat Now?
If your priority is a confirmed, bookable transfer to Gili Trawangan in the next few months, a boat is the only option that currently exists, and the price comparison above should be your planning baseline rather than a placeholder you hope gets filled in later. If your interest is genuinely in a scenic or novel seaplane experience and your timing is flexible, it is reasonable to keep an eye on the Batujai waterbase project, but treat any 2027 network claim as a plan still working through permitting, not a service you can book today.
Weather governs both options either way, so it belongs in the same budget conversation as price. The Lombok Strait is known for strong currents and wind-against-current chop that peaks during monsoon transitions. Dry season, roughly May through September, brings better visibility but afternoon trade winds that build through the day; wet season, roughly November through March, brings thunderstorms and squalls that can cancel fast boats and would almost certainly ground a seaplane too. If a Lombok-Gili seaplane service does launch, reasonable operating windows would likely sit in the morning, 08:00 to 11:00, and early afternoon, 13:00 to 16:00, since low-light water landings are not standard practice. That window is a projection based on general seaplane operating patterns, not a published schedule, and should be read that way.
What Could Push the Price Up or Down?
A handful of factors would move any future seaplane quote, and they are worth knowing before you plan a budget around a number nobody has published yet.
- Group size — chartering a full aircraft solo costs the same as chartering it for a full load, so per-person cost drops sharply as more passengers share the flight.
- Season — dry-season weeks with strong demand and stable weather would likely command a premium over wet-season shoulder periods.
- Distance from base — if the operating aircraft is based outside Lombok, a positioning flight adds cost that a Lombok-based aircraft would not carry.
- Regulatory status of Gili Trawangan landings — until permits are issued for the conservation area, any quote for that specific island stays theoretical regardless of season or group size.
- Entry-related costs for international visitors — while not part of the transfer fare itself, budget for the eVOA fee of IDR 500,000 (as of April 2026) and the mandatory electronic arrival card required since October 2025 when totaling a full Lombok trip budget.
None of these factors change the core fact for anyone planning a trip this year: until a licensed operator publishes a fare for this specific route, any number you see quoted for a Gili Trawangan seaplane transfer should be treated as speculation, not a bookable price you can rely on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a seaplane that flies directly from Lombok Airport to Gili Trawangan?
Not as of September 2026. Research through 17-18 September 2026 found no scheduled, publicly advertised seaplane route connecting Lombok’s airport to Gili Trawangan or any nearby island. An NTB-Aman Air waterbase project at Bendungan Batujai was announced in February 2026, but landing permits for Gili Trawangan had not been issued because the island is a conservation area.
Can I book a seaplane charter to Gili Trawangan privately, even without a scheduled service?
A private charter is theoretically possible through a general-aviation seaplane operator, but no operator currently advertises a Lombok-Gili product with a public rate. You would need to request a custom quote covering the aircraft, positioning flight, and water aerodrome coordination required under Indonesia’s August 2025 Water Aerodrome regulation, and confirm the operator holds landing clearance for your intended arrival point.
Why do boat prices to Gili Trawangan vary so much, from IDR 15,000 to over IDR 500,000?
The gap reflects public versus private boats and route length, not inconsistent pricing. Public boats from Bangsal charge per person and run around IDR 20,000 for the roughly 40-minute crossing. Private boats charge per vessel regardless of passenger count, commonly around IDR 550,000 from Bangsal, which suits groups but costs more for a solo traveler than a shared public seat.