Flights to Nias Island
Today the vast majority of visitors to Nias arrive by air. It is the most convenient way to get here, and there are an increasing number of flights to Nias. The Gateway to Nias is Medan, the capital of North Sumatra and Indonesia’s fourth largest city. Its international airport has direct flights to many Southeast Asian capital cities. Medan Airport is also known as Kuala Namu International Airport (KNO) and is located 32 kilometers east of the city.
There are 6 scheduled daily flights from Medan to Gunung Sitoli on Nias Island. Gunung Sitoli is the largest town on the Island. Gunung Sitoli airport is also known as Binaka Airport (GNS) and is located 20 kilometers south of the city.
Getting to Medan
Medan (Kuala Namu International Airport) is served by direct flights from many capital cities in the region. Below is a table of the most important air links to Medan.
| City | Flights | Duration | Airline |
|---|---|---|---|
| JAKARTA | 35 daily | 2:20 hours | Garuda, Lion Air, Air Asia, Sriwijaya Air, Citilink, Batik Air |
| SINGAPORE | 2-3 daily | 1:20 hours | Silk Air, Jetstar |
| KUALA LUMPUR | 8 daily | 1:00 hour | Malaysian Airlines, Air Asia, Firefly |
| BANGKOK | 1 daily | 1:55 hours | Air Asia |
There are also a number of direct flights to Medan from regional towns in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
From Medan to Nias Island
Gunung Sitoli (Binaka Airport) is currently served by 7 daily direct flights from Medan. The flights are operated by Wings Air which is a subsidiary of Lion Air (5 flights) and Citilink (2 flight). The flight takes just under one hour. Typically flights depart at 6:00, 7:00, 8: 15, 9:00, 11:30, and 14:00. Check the Lion Air and Citilink websites for exact departure times as they may vary.
There are also less frequent flights between Binaka Airport and Sibolga, as well as Silangit Airport near Lake Toba. This is a good alternative if you are combining your visit to Nias with a tour of Sumatra. Contact Susi Air directly for flight details as they may not be available on their website.
Another lesser used route into Nias is catching the daily Susi Air flight from Padang to Telos (Lasondre Airport). From the Telos it is possible to fly onwards to Gunungsitoli on Nias Island. However it is notoriously difficult to secure tickets on this flight and many travelers in this direction end up taking the fast ferry (4-6 hours) to Teluk Dalam in South Nias. For more information about flights to Telos check out our Local Transport page.
Ticket price and over sized luggage
The price for a return ticket from Medan to Nias is approximately (2019) IDR 1,600,000- IDR 1,900,000 (USD 110-135). Luggage allowance on Citilink is 10 kg and Wings does not include a free luggage allowance as of Jan 2019. Both airlines offer pre-purchased luggage allowances. The excess luggage fee for Citilink is IDR 25,000 per kilo (USD 2) but may be pre-purchased on website at a cheaper rate ahead of time. It is not a problem to check-in large items such as surf boards and bicycles on the flight. Wings Air and Citilink fly to many popular Indonesian surf-destination and are used to handling over-sized luggage. Wings charge IDR 200,000 per surfboard and Citilink charges are IDR 100,000 in 10kg increments. For information of Longboards check our SURFING page.
Surf boards being unloaded from a Wings Air plane at Binaka Airport, Gunung Sitoli, Nias Island.
