COTABATO CITY – Indonesia’s national flag carrier, Garuda Airlines, officially opened last Friday its Davao-Manado route with initial two flights weekly in what facilitating officials hailed as fulfillment of a two-decade dream.
North Sulawesi Vice Gov. Steven Kandow, Garuda chief executive officer Ari Askhara, and their party, accompanied by Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia Leehiong Wee, arrived at the Davao International Airport noon Friday aboard Garuda’s 70-seat ATR 72-600 aircraft, which served as the opening flight of the airline for the new route.
Mindanao Development Authority Chairman Manny Piñol, Indonesian Ambassador to the Philippines Sinyo Harry Sarundajang, and Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, represented by Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board chairperson Martin Delgra, met the pioneer flight passengers who reportedly left Sam Ratulangi International Airport at 10:20 a.m.
During a reception program, Piñol said Sarundajang described the air link as a realization of the dream that he and then Davao City Mayor now President Rodrigo Duterte had envisioned when they inked the Davao-Manado city sisterhood accord 21 years ago.
Piñol said he strongly proposed at the meeting that the Garuda flights, apart from passengers, should regularly load Mindanao products like dressed chicken, eggs, fruits, and vegetables for consumers in Indonesia via North Sulawesi.
Products from North Sulawesi that are “needed in Mindanao” should also be flown in by the Garuda airline flights for a “more meaningful” bilateral socio-economic setup, he said. (Ali Macabalang)
