Mandarin Air to begin Taipei-Saipan service in April

Mandarin Airlines, a subsidiary of China Airlines, will begin providing Taipei-Saipan direct service twice a week next month after signing an agreement with Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino to ferry visitors regularly from Taiwan.

The airline will be using a B737-800 which can accommodate 158 passengers. According to Alfred Yue, Director for Casino Operations, the initial flight has been tentatively set on April 17. It will leave Taipei at around 8:00 a.m.

“Unfortunately, the plane cannot land in Tinian due to technical problems. The executives who checked on the airport said the runway is short,” Mr. Yue said.

Mandarin Airlines will increase frequency later on as the demand increases. The airline executives led by H. H. Sun, senior vice president of Mandarin Air, earlier met with Commonwealth Ports Authority Executive Director Carlos H. Salas.

“We have to bring in carriers that are willing to be partners with the CNMI. We cannot just sit here and wait for things to happen,” Mr. Yue said.

Tinian Dynasty officials have been negotiating with Mandarin Airlines to fly here three months ago in a move to boost traffic and tourists arrivals on the island-municipality of Tinian. A group of travel agents from Taipei is helping Tinian Dynasty in marketing the destination.

“This charter is also between Tinian Dynasty and the travel agents in Taipei. We negotiated for this since this is the only way we can sell the destination,” Mr. Yue said.

The financially beleaguered Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino has been negotiating with Continental Micronesia for a Taipei-Tinian direct service. However, the airline claims it will only do so if a fuel facility becomes available on the island.

Tourism and Aviation Task Force officials have been trying to convince various airlines, such as Far Eastern Air Transport and Eva Air, to provide a Saipan-Taiwan direct service.

However, Far Eastern Air has postponed indefinitely its planned Taipei-Saipan direct flight scheduled this year as a result of the crisis in the region.

MVA is looking at developing Taiwan as its alternative market in view of the decline in arrivals from Japan and Korea as a result of Asia’s financial crisis. Although the tourism office has yet to establish a representative office in Taipei, local officials have been planning to increase the visibility of the CNMI in Taiwan.