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Jeju Air to open direct Manado-South Korea flight in tourism bid
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The Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado, North Sulawesi. (The Jakarta Post/Agustinus Hari)
S
outh Korea’s Jeju Air has inked a deal with the North Sulawesi administration to offer direct flights between Manado and South Korea.
Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae and North Sulawesi Governor Olly Dondokambey signed the agreement at the Indonesian ambassador’s residence in Seoul on Friday.
“I’m very grateful because we are sure that our company can help with Korean and Indonesian economic development,” Kim said.
“We will try our best to open direct flights to Manado, Bali, Lombok, Jakarta and Yogyakarta,” he added, noting that such flights were in the pipeline.
Olly said North Sulawesi was well situated for the deal, being only five hours by plane from South Korea, and he expressed hope that the flight route could boost tourism for both North Sulawesi and South Korea.
“What makes North Sulawesi ideal is how relatively close it is to South Korea. North Sulawesi’s location and geostrategy offer benefits for water transportation to and from Bitung Harbor, which is not far from Sam Ratulangi Airport,” said Olly.
“Manado people love to travel. So, this [deal] is beneficial to both parties. Koreans [can come to] Manado, and there will be many Manado people flying to Korea,” he added.
