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Monday, January 16, 2006
Revival of Indon airline's Gensan flight sought
AIRPORT authorities challenge tourism officials and travel operators to promote not just the tourism potential but also the business climate of this city and nearby areas for an Indonesian airline company to resume flight operations here.
General Santos City airport manager Nathaniel Nazareno believed the area has vast business potential that would convince Merpati Nasuntara Airlines to reopen flights from Manado City to General Santos and vice versa.
Merpati opened a weekly flight here using an 80-seater Fokker jet more than two years ago but suspended the service several months later due to losses.
Nazareno disclosed the airline, when it operated, would cancel its flight from Manado in the Indonesian province of North Sulawesi if not all the seats were taken, forcing passengers to look for other Philippine bound flights.
"But hopefully, we can revive Merpati's service here. Actually, we are deeply pursuing this market route," he said last week.
Nazareno admitted the airport is currently under utilized, which explains why local airport authorities want more airline operators to open up routes here.
In the past several years, only Philippine Airlines and Air Philippines offer regular flights from Manila to this city and vice versa on a daily basis.
On November 3, 2003, Merpati's maiden flight landed at the airport carrying Manado Mayor Wempie Frederick and his wife and other Indonesian officials.
At the time, the company offered round trip airfare at US$220 or at least P12,000.
Travel time from Manado to here will take about 50 minutes, less than an hour's air travel from here to Manila, which takes one hour and 45 minutes.
Mayor Pedro Acharon Jr. said the opening of the air route was made possible through the efforts of local fishing groups with the cooperation of their foreign counterparts.
Acharon added the opening of the Manado-Gensan route would benefit not only the fishing sector but would also spur the tourism potentials of this city and nearby areas. (RBS)
(January 16, 2006 issue)
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