Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia reconnects the city of Manado in North Sulawesi to Davao City in the southern Philippines starting last Friday, September 27.
Garuda Indonesia’s all-economy-class flight will service the route twice weekly (Monday and Friday) utilizing an ATR 72-600. The twin-engine turboprop aircraft, produced in France and Italy by aircraft manufacturer ATR, can accommodate up to 70 passengers.
Garuda Indonesia’s flight GA 7401 will travel from Manado’s Sam Ratulangi International Airport at 10:30 AM, while the return flight GA 7402 will depart from Davao’s Francisco Bangoy International Airport at 1:15 PM.
Garuda Indonesia is the second largest Indonesian Airline that operates flights to a number of Southeast Asian, East Asian, South Asian, the Middle Eastern, Australian and European destinations from its main hub in Jakarta’s Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, as well as services to Australia and Asia from Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali. Domestic flights operates from both Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar and Kualanamu International Airport in Medan.
Philippine ambassador to Indonesia Leehiong Wee, North Sulawesi vice govenor Steven Kandow, Ministry of Foreign Affairs director of Southeast Asia Denny Abdi; and Garuda Indonesia chief executive officer Ari Askhara led the Manado entourage who took the maiden flight to Davao.
It can be recalled that Garuda Indonesia (formerly Garuda Indonesian Airways) used to service the same route in the 90s. Other Indonesian airlines, such as Swirijaya (now Citilink, a subsidiary of Garuda Indonesia), and the now-defunct Bouraq Air, also served the same route.
Special thanks to DOT Xl for the additional photos.
