DAVAO CITY, Philippines — The Davao International Airport (International Air Transport Association code DVO), officially known as the Francisco Bangoy International Airport, has started to revive its direct flights to Indonesia and is expected to serve more international routes as government agencies and private sector study their feasibility.
Cebu-based airline Midsea Travel Express (MSE) now flies its 19-seater Jetstream 32 from Davao to Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia every Sunday, according to Department of Tourism XI Regional Director Arturo P. Boncato, Jr.
Eko Hartono, Consul General of Indonesia to Davao, was said to have joined the inaugural flight last Sunday together with a group of tourism entrepreneurs to Manado. The delegates were welcomed by the head of North Sulawesi Province and the Philippine Consul General to Manado, the Indonesian news agency Tribun Manado said in a report.
The report, written in Indonesian, also revealed that Philippine Consul General Jose DR Burgos expressed hopes that Davao will turn into a stopover destination for tourists coming from Northeast Asia, such as Japan, Korea and Taiwan before they head to Manado and other regions in Indonesia.
The revival of the Davao-Manado route means shorter flights for passengers flying from Davao. Since Wings and Sriwijaya Air pulled off their direct routes in 2008, passengers had to take the Davao-Manila-Jakarta-Manado route, increasing distance and costs.
It was learned that tourism stakeholders are eyeing to increase flying frequencies of the Davao-Manado route twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. Manado is the capital of North Sulawesi province.
Earlier, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported that both Jakarta-based Lion Air and Manila-based Zest Air also expressed to operate the Davao-Manado route.
The Philippines has adopted the Open Skies Policy and has urged other countries in the East ASEAN Growth Area region to open up through a proposed BIMP-EAGA skies. Suspended routes from Puerto Princesa to Kota Kinabalu, and Zamboanga to Sandakan are one of the key projects discussed in a meeting of transport ministers in Palawan last year.
The government has long strived to revive and add direct international flights from international airports in the Southern island of Mindanao to Southeast Asian countries to utilize Mindanao’s international airports.
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By: Mick M. Basa
Source: Manila Bulletin, March 19, 2012
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