– Two airline companies from Indonesia and another from the Philippines have expressed interest to reestablish direct flights between Davao City and Manado in North Sulawesi, Indonesia as part of the efforts to strengthen the connectivity within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations , Indonesian Consul General Dicky Fabrian said.
Fabrian added the airlines have also asked that they would be allowed to have a layover either in Cebu or Manila for the return flight to Manado from Davao. He said the revival of the Davao-Manado air linkage will be important in strengthening ASEAN connectivity, cutting the travel time to four hours at the most for tourists and business executives from the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, compared to the circuitous route of flying from Jakarta to Davao via Manila.
Seeing more travelers from both sides, the Indonesian diplomat said he was confident that the direct air linkage between Davao and Manado, a popular diving site in Indonesia, will enjoy high patronage.On September 1, 2018, Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia Leehiong T. Wee and Indonesian Ambassador to the Philippines Sinyo Harry Sarundajang signed a statement to promote the reestablishment of the air route, and this was witnessed by Transportation Undersecretary for aviation Manuel Antonio L.
Both Wee and Sarundajang agreed to promote the revival of the defunct route to increase trade, tourism, and investment between the two countries.