CNMI seeks to strengthen ties with Delta Air Lines

Gov. Ralph DLG Torres is scheduled to meet with the president of Delta Air Lines next month to strengthen the relationship between the CNMI and the carrier.

“I’ll be meeting with the president of Delta Air Lines some time next month to establish and assure Delta that we have a very special relationship with them,” he said.

Delta Air Lines announced last Sept. 18 that it is pulling out its Guam-Narita service effective January 2018.

“We are in constant communication with the president [of Delta Air Lines] and we acknowledge and appreciate all the services that Delta has done here in the CNMI. For our part, we will continue to provide additional resources and support to Delta Air to prevent them from pulling out of the CNMI,” said Torres.

In its official statement, Hiroko Okada of the Delta Air Lines corporate communications department had said the demand for the Narita-Guam flights have not been strong enough to sustain the route.

Delta Air Lines’ flights from Narita to Saipan and Palau remain unchanged.

According to TASI Tours president Mesato Tezako, Saipan is not affected by the pullout in Guam because Delta Air Lines’ service on Saipan has less competition, making the Narita-Saipan route a steady source of revenue.”

The governor knows how critical Delta Air Line’s role is in the CNMI is and that every flight that comes from Japan is, he said, given value and appreciation.

“It has always been a business partnership and the priority is to strengthen the relationship that we have. The CNMI will work with Delta Air to see possibilities for better opportunities in the CNMI. They are the only carrier that service the Japanese market from Narita to Saipan and one of the airlines that connect Saipan to the U.S. by going through Narita. We know we can always count on Delta,” he said.

Currently, Delta Air Lines flies once a day from Narita to Saipan and lands at the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport between 2:44am and 3pm. It is the only airline that brings Japanese tourists to the island.

That means the CNMI is open to other flights from Japan.

“It is always good news for the CNMI government to hear of new airlines coming in but, at the same time, I will not jeopardize Delta’s presence here for other airlines because Delta has been serving the CNMI for 30-40 years,” he said.

“We would like other airlines to fly in, perhaps from another city like Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto, and Hokkaido. We encourage new airlines to come to the CNMI and to fly outside of Delta’s realm of tourism because there are lot of other markets out there. The market is not limited to Tokyo and Narita only,” he added.