TO AIR CONCERNS ON NONSTOP FLIGHTS CPA urged to join U.S.-Japan talks on air service rights

The Airports Council International is urging the Commonwealth Ports Authority to join the United States delegation in a meeting with the Japanese government on air service rights to be able to express its concerns on the CNMI’s air transport conditions.

This has been the practice of many U.S. airports administrations throughout the mainland and other American territories in order to be sure that the federal government is aware of their interests, said ACI Director for International Affairs John M. Kloosterman.

Mr. Kloosterman was referring to a letter from CPA Executive Director Carlos H. Salas, seeking ACI-North America’s assistance in efforts to increase direct flights from major Asian cities to the Northern Marianas.

CPA has brought the islands’ air transport woes to the attention of the ACI-NA, as it asked the Council’s help in CNMI efforts to rebuild the islands’ struggling tourism industry, which currently thirsts for additional nonstop international flights.

“[T]he recent decision of Continental Airlines to use Guam as its hub by diverting all of our direct flights to Guam has adversely affected international passenger traffic to Saipan,” said Mr. Salas.

At the same time, the CPA official requested the ACI-NA to ask the U.S. Government and Japanese aviation officials to include Saipan in the list of destinations for the second, short runway at the Narita Airport in Japan.

Japan’s estimate of departing-flight distance for Narita Airport’s Runway B is 1,500 miles which include Guam, Seoul, Beijing and Shanghai. The list does not include Hong Kong as well.

“We believe that Saipan appropriately falls in the departing-flight distance category for Runway B,” Mr. Salas said, underscoring the fact that the CNMI’s tourism industry depends heavily on travelers from Japan.

In his response, Mr. Kloosterman said ACI-NA would open communication lines with the CPA to inform the ports authority when consultations between the U.S. and Japan are scheduled and let the agency know how to participate in the talks.

CPA, along with other U.S. airports administrations, is a participant to the ICA-NA’s International Air Service Program.

“In addition, the program can convey participating members’ views and keep them apprised during negotiations should they decide not to attend themselves,” Mr. Kloosterman told CPA.

He also said it may be the best time for the CPA and the CNMI government to start approaching carriers about serving the Northern Marianas, in light of new capacity being created at Narita Airport.

“I would additionally encourage you to write to the U.S. government when you have a view that you wish to express or a concern to make known, as many U.S. airports and airlines do,” he told Mr. Salas.

He has also suggested that CPA write to Maeda Ryuhei, director of Japan’s Ministry of Transportation-International Air Transport Division, to confirm Saipan’s inclusion in the list of destinations for the Narita Airport’s Runway B.