Torres hopeful Marianas Southern Airways will open door to others

With the CNMI’s newest interisland airline, Marianas Southern Airways, to begin operations soon, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres is hoping this will open the doors for other airlines to come in.

In response to questions during a radio press briefing last week, Torres said that having more airlines here in the CNMI will be better for the economy, provide a more reliable interisland transportation system, and provide job opportunities for people.

“I hope that this will allow other airlines to see the CNMI as a potential investment and a profitable investment to bring in,” he said.

Marianas Southern Airways is a joint venture between Saipan’s MP Enterprises and Southern Airways Express, one of America’s largest regional airlines. It is expected to commence operations next month and will launch over 90 weekly flights serving Saipan, Tinian, Rota, and Guam.

Southern Airways’ interline agreement with United Airlines provides them the ability to make a seamless reservation from Tinian, Rota, or Saipan to anywhere in the United network.

At the moment, the CNMI’s lone interisland airline is Star Marianas Air, which Torres acknowledged last week. He thanked Star Marianas for being in the CNMI throughout the years. “I want to thank their partnership as well. We have to acknowledge that,” he said.

The governor said the CNMI did experience challenges when Star Marianas had to shut down their operation during a critical time, which was during the holidays.

Torres said that new airlines like Marianas Southern Airways, with their background in Hawaii and other areas in the nation, is the type of business that people need here, creating a more competitive playing field that will hopefully result in better services, cheaper price, and more reliable flights.

As for the issue that tourists want more activities and attractions at night, Torres said he is not going to tell stores to open up more hours at night as it’s their business decision.

The governor assured that if it is feasible for retailers and stores to keep late hours, they will open 24/7 if there are enough number of tourists to sustain the economy and their business plan.

“I want to thank all our business partners for opening up and I thank them for opening as late as they can. With that said, I hope other businesses can open up and give tourists more opportunities to enjoy the CNMI,” he said.