THE MINDANAO Development Authority (MinDA) hinted at the possible reopening of the Davao–Manado direct flight to be serviced by Indonesian carrier TransNusa Air.
The advanced talks of both parties were conducted during their outbound trade mission to North Sulawesi, Indonesia, from April 6 to 10, 2026.
MinDA Assistant Secretary Romeo Montenegro said the talks aimed to restore air connectivity between Mindanao and Indonesia under the BIMP-EAGA initiative.
Montenegro said Indonesian carrier TransNusa Air expressed readiness to resume operations pending a market viability study and regulatory requirements.
“We expect the realization of the commitments made by both delegations and counterpart institutions in operationalizing the connectivity, particularly the revival of the direct Davao–Manado flight and the necessary support to sustain it,” Montenegro said in a MinDA statement on Friday.
He added that MinDA will coordinate with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and the Civil Aeronautics Board for the application of BIMP-EAGA support policies, to assess passenger demand, cargo volume, and operational support needed to sustain the direct flight.
“We will be providing further data to TransNusa, along with other requisites that need to be worked out with our civil aviation authorities and national government agencies to ensure the connectivity will be viable and sustainable,” Montenegro added.
Montenegro said to ensure long- term success, both parties are taking lessons from previous engagements.
“This time around, we are making sure that the preliminaries and preparations are worked out so that once operationalization is laid down, all bases are covered, and the initiative will be sustained,” he said.
The Davao-Manado air route was previously serviced by Sriwijaya Air (2007) and Wings Air (2008), but suffered multiple suspensions due to low passenger/cargo volume.
Garuda Indonesia revived it in September 2019, but it was halted due to low passenger/cargo volume and the pandemic in 2020.
MinDA said both sides agreed to develop cross-border tour packages to boost travel and support the proposed Davao–Manado air route.
“We now see stronger private sector interest and expanded economic activity on both sides, which provides the commercial viability needed for this connectivity project to move forward,” Montenegro said.
i
Aside from air connectivity, the trade mission also provided a platform for the Davao Region and North Sulawesi to create concrete cooperation initiatives.
This includes a letter of intent from Governor Generoso LGU to partner with Miangas and Bitung in fisheries, agriculture, tourism, and trade, and a commitment from North Sulawesi to send a delegation to Davao within the year.
Local chief executives, officials from the Department of Tourism and the Department of Trade and Industry, and tourism stakeholders from Davao Region were present during the trade mission to further strengthen economic, tourism, and cultural ties with North Sulawesi.
