DAVAO's accessibility as a tourist and business destination will receive a boost with the revival of Wings Air's weekly Davao-Manado service on July 5, and the introduction of SEAir's twice-daily Manila-Davao flights on July 31.

SEAir’s Manila-Davao service will be operated using a 144-seat Airbus A319 and a 180-seat Airbus A320 aircraft. The new route complements the carrier’s existing twice-daily Singapore-Manila flights, effectively replacing the direct Singapore-Davao service which Tiger Airways – part owner of SEAir – axed last April due to lower-than-expected load factors.

Wings Air, a subsidiary of Indonesia’s Lion Air, will use a 72-seater ATR 72-500 aircraft on its weekly charter service between Davao and Manado, the capital and commercial hub of North Sulawesi.

Wings Air’s return to the sector after a four-year hiatus represents a big gain for Davao, which lost access to Manado when Cebu’s Mid-SEA Express suspended operations on this route last April.

Jason Magnaye, head of Davao City Tourism Office and Davao City Investment and Promotion Center, said the new air routes “augur well for our efforts to improve the city’s accessibility both for tourism and business purposes”.

“The Davao-Manado connectivity opens up Davao City to Manado’s almost half a million population. This also complements our continued efforts to promote bilateral business and trade relations between the two cities," he added.