SilkAir Returns to Makassar As Its Eleventh Indonesian Destination

SilkAir, Singapore Airline’s regional subsidiary, reintroduced flights between Singapore and Makassar on 1 August 2013 after recently adding Semarang into its flight route from Singapore on 29 July 2013.  Currently only SilkAir and AirAsia offers Singapore – Makassar (UPG) direct flights while Garuda Indonesia who was the first to introduce daily direct flights in June 2011 has since reduced the frequency and flies via Balikpapan.  Read about it here.

I flew up together with 38 year old Leslie Thng, Chief Executive Officer of SilkAir on the inaugural flight MI142 on board 9V-SLR departing Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 at around 8.05am and arriving into Makassar’s Sultan Hassanudin International Airport at 1115am.  Passengers on the inaugural flight were presented with SilkAir notebooks and inaugural flight certificates personally signed by Leslie Thng and the flight commander, Captain SL Leong. A water canon salute welcomed the aircraft after which a press conference was held in the airport with other dignitaries including Dr. H Syahrul Yasin Limpo, South Sulawessi Governor, Makassar; Mr. Gerard Ho, Deputy Chief of Mission, Singapore Embassy in Jakarta as well as Indonesian Airport authorities, industry partners as well as media.

“We believe Makassar offers tremendous upside for multinational companies to set up their businesses.  For leisure travellers, it also offers a multitude of historical gems, natural attractions as well as a variety of sightseeing opportunities within and beyond the city,” Leslie Thng shared “and we remain committed in promoting our Makassar flights and will invest to build up traffic so that Makassar enjoys the support we want it to have.  In the long run, we hope to play a part in facilitating the growth and development of businesses and tourism in Makassar.”

SilkAir operates flights between Makassar and Singapore on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.  The airline flies to 44 cities in 12 countries.  The other ten cities SilkAir flies to include Balikpapan, Bandung, Lombok, Manado, Medan, Palembang, Pekanbaru, Semarang, Solo and Surabaya.