Merpati to fly to Philippine weekly

Merpati to fly to Philippine weekly

DAVAO, Philippines: Indonesia's Merpati Nusantara Airlines will begin weekly flights between Davao in the southern Philippines and Indonesia's Manado, the Indonesian vice-consul said here Wednesday.

Vice Consul Johannes Manginsela said the inaugural flight would arrive in Davao on Sept. 12 and will fly the route every Thursday thereafter, using a 75-seat Fokker-28 jet.

This would complement a weekly flight between the two cities by Bouraq Airlines of Indonesia and will hopefully boost economic ties between the two countries, Manginsela said.

A Philippine airline previously flew the same route but later stopped because it could not get enough passengers. -- AFP