New Singapore-Labuan Bajo flight rote to accelerate local economy

Labuan Bajo Flores Tourism Authority (BPOLBF) Tourism Destination Director Konstant M. Nandus stated that the addition of international flights on the Singapore-Labuan Bajo route will lead to an increase in investment to Labuan Bajo Subdistrict, Komodo District, West Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province.

"If, for example, [more] foreign tourists come in [through the new flight], the flow of investment in the future will certainly grow. This [new route] is also a central concern for infrastructure and other [aspects of development] here," said Konstant when contacted in West Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province on Feb. 10, 2025.

The flight carried out to the Komodo International Airport Direct through the Singapore-Labuan Bajo-Singapore route, which is served by Jetstar Airways. The direct flight will be carried out starting from Mar. 20, 2025.

Konstant said the addition of international flight routes will also increase the number of foreign tourists to the Labuan Bajo Super Priority Tourism Destination and its Surroundings (DPSP). In addition, the increase in visits will raise locally-generated revenue for the local government and non-tax central government revenue.

"This [new route] is definitely a blessing, as the tourism segment here is from the foreign market. It could [help Labuan Bajo] avoid being too empty during the low season because there are local and foreign tourists," he added.

Konstan considered the readiness of tourist destinations in Labuan Bajo to be quite good, especially the Komodo National Park (TNK) Office, which has introduced the Siora application which that provides convinience for tourists.

"Now, the TNK is using the Siora application.. In the future we cannot avoid technological advances requiring us to use this technology because it provides convenience to tourists. People can order entrance tickets as soon as they enter Labuan Bajo, when they want to fly from Singapore or America they can already order tickets. This tupe convenience is what is sought after [by consumers]," he said.

He also asked the local community in the area to protect the environment while maintaining cleanliness to improve the quality of Labuan Bajo as a tourist destination. Awareness about the importance of cleanliness needs to be increased to all levels of society and instilled early on in the local community.

"We must talk not only about waste downstream, [but also the upstream side]  we rarely talk about. What is meant is how to raise awareness to people that waste is not good, so a big movement is actually needed involving many people and stakeholders to carry out an awareness movement starting from pre-school to high school," he said.

Meanwhile, the West Manggarai Regency Government recorded the number of tourist visits to the regency in 2024 reaching 411,349 people. The tourists tourists consisted of 181,586 domestic tourists and 229,763 foreign tourists.

The Komodo International Airport previously added an international route served by Jetstar Airways for the Singapore-Labuan Bajo-Singapore route.

"Direct flights on March 20, 2025," said the Head of the Komodo Labuan Bajo Airport Management Unit (UPBU) Ceppy Triono when contacted in Labuan Bajo.

The Komodo Labuan Bajo International Airport has served international routes with the Kuala Lumpur-Labuan Bajo-Kuala Lumpur Route by AirAsia airlines. He explained that Jetstar Asia Airways operates international flights twice a week.

"The plan is for the Singapore-Labuan Bajo-Singapore route twice a week, namely on Thursdays and Sundays," he said.