DAVAO CITY — SilkAir, a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, plans to resume direct flights between Davao City and Singapore after the local government suspended international air travel last March 17 to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Mayor Sara Duterte said.
“SilkAir has already reached out. They will work on restoring Davao City-Singapore flights. That’s another good news for Davao City,” Duterte said in an interview over Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR 87.5) on Friday.
This developed four days after Duterte made the announcement over her radio program last Monday that the city was already welcoming the resumption of international flights.
She expressed confidence the Davao International Airport (DIA) was already ready to accommodate additional flights for as long as the airlines could follow their schedules to prevent convergence of arriving passengers in the airport.
City Tourism and Operations Office Head Generose Tecson said, in a text message on Saturday, that there was still no definite date yet when the Singapore-Davao flights will resume, but said that initial talks between the local government and SilkAir have already started.
“There is none yet. We are still in the initial talks. We are waiting for head office,” she said.
Aside from SilkAir, she said Philippine Airlines has already expressed interest to resume flights between Davao and Tagbilaran City in Bohol province.
“We are ready, for as long as the airlines would follow their allotted schedules so that the people will not converge in the airport. We are ready to accept those two new flights,” she said.
SilkAir currently flies from Singapore to Manila and Cebu, according to the flight schedules published on the website of Singapore Airlines.
Domestic flights going to Davao from Manila, Clark, and Cebu have been allowed since June 8.
On March 17, Duterte ordered the suspension of all domestic and international flights in pursuance of the Presidential Proclamation 922 placing the country “in a state of public health emergency in relation to national security.”
Cathay Dragon’s Davao-Hongkong-Davao and XiamenAir’s Davao-Quanzhou(Jinjiang)-Davao flights were suspended in February while Cebu Pacific’s Davao-Singapore-Davao, Garuda Indonesia’s Davao-Manado-Davao, Qatar Airways’ Davao-Qatar-Davao, and SilkAir in March.