The next logical step

Photo show the modern instrument panel of Marianas Southern Airways Tecnam aircraft. (MSA)

The founders of the CNMI’s newest airline, Marianas Southern Airways, have their sights firmly focused on putting the region on the international stage. “If we are to drive economic growth, we need to provide a sustainable, reliable international airlink to the CNMI,” said Keith Stewart, president of MSA.

“The ability to base and control an international airline locally, offer employment and training opportunities to CNMI residents, and significantly boost local economic development is an exciting concept,” said Stewart, “and one that my team and I are focused on delivering as the next logical phase of our airline growth plans.”

In 2021, Stewart and his vice president CNMI/Guam, Bill Giles, began working on an air service development concept to bring heavy lift back to Saipan. They recognized that the past success of Air Micronesia was heavily attributable to the fact that it was a Saipan-based airline with local leaders and decision-makers. Together, with an internationally experienced team of aviation executives, they have formed Marianas Pacific Airlines, with the goal of bringing high-yield international travelers directly to Saipan. With demand for passenger travel on selected international routes, Marianas Pacific Airlines expects to increase the CNMI’s tourism base and stimulate and improve the overall economic stability of the islands.

Over the next three years, Marianas Pacific Airlines initial start-up operations will provide 52 flights per week on seven niche routes using three U.S registered Boeing 757-200 aircraft. The planned B-757 routes will be accessible to over 313 million people in four countries within a 6-hour and 15-minute flight time of Saipan. One key objective of this plan is to provide non-stop links to Saipan from Australia, a high-yield tourism market that the Marianas Visitor Authority has sought to access for many years, said Stewart.

Giles points out that the Mariana Islands have had a proud and storied history of international air travel, pre-dating even the Golden Age of Aviation. He reminds us that in 1968 Air Micronesia established its headquarters on Saipan. “Its launch was probably the single most important factor in the economic development that would span the next half-century as, for the first time, once-remote islands in the Pacific were connected to one another and the world at large,” said Giles.

Air travel between the islands is a necessity, and the companies that provide it have always been well-respected by island leaders and communities. Air Micronesia is credited with opening the Mariana Islands to the world for tourism and economic growth and Marianas Pacific Airlines intends to recreate that air bridge for the benefit of the CNMI. It is aiming to commence services in 2023. (PR)