Saipan airport reopens

The Commonwealth Ports Authority opened the Saipan International Airport at 2pm yesterday, bringing back limited hours of operations with the goal of ferrying in and out stranded residents and tourists.

The airport was shut down on Monday morning after the destructive Typhoon Soudelor left the CNMI in a state of disaster.

The ports authority has been informed that there about 1,500 stranded airline passengers waiting to leave or arrive on island.

CPA brought smaller flight operations online yesterday. They aim to fly in major airline jets today.

Airport navigational aids are down after the destructive winds of Typhoon Soudelor.

Out of safety precautions, CPA will only allow flight operations from sunrise to sundown.

Federal Aviation Administration technicians from Guam were at the airport assessing damage to these aids. The air traffic control tower—the eyes and ears of the airport—is operating. But CPA cannot operate at sundown because navigational aids are not up and running.

CPA executive director Maryanne Lizama could not yet give a timeline for repairs. The FAA technicians were on site.

“We don’t know how much damage occurred. I can’t and I won’t give a timeline, only because that’s not my area of expertise but I will be informed,” she said.

Lizama said they aim to bring back major airline jets from Delta Air Lines, Jeju Air, or Asiana Airlines today.

Lizama said this would only be ferrying returning residents and stranded passengers.

“That is going to be the primary goal of opening up the airports,” she said.

The flights that came up yesterday were from Cape Air/United and Star Marianas Air, while cargo flights from Arctic Circle and Micronesian Air Cargo Services were operational.

Star Marianas flies commuter flights between Saipan, Tinian, and Rota with their Piper aircraft. Cape Air flies an ATR aircraft.

Lizama said these flights do not require coordination with Customs and Border Protection and Transportation Security Administration.

Lizama said the airline jets require a schedule for the security agencies and the “guys on the ground.”

At 2:50 pm yesterday, United Airlines announced “relief” flights between Guam and Saipan.

The Saipan airport is still running on generator after Typhoon Soudelor crippled the Commonwealth Utilities Corp.’s power grid.

The airport has running water from its reserve tank.

Lizama was working the phones lines yesterday to work out an arrangement with the public utility in regards to water service and to meet with the Mobil gas company in regards to their generator to find out how many day of fuel they need or have.

There are three “key” generators at the airport, Lizama said. They are for the air traffic control tower, the ARFF building, and the airport terminal.

Key CPA staff has gotten little sleep since Soudelor rammed through and left the CNMI in a state of disaster.