Gov’t. urged to hold talks with Nippon Air

Lawmakers have prodded key government agencies as well as the governor’s Aviation Task Force to lure back All Nippon Airways (ANA) to the Northern Marianas in an effort to boost the number of tourists from Japan.

A resolution adopted by the House of Representative the other day formally requested the task force, the Marianas Visitors Authority and the Commonwealth Ports Authority to take steps in encouraging the Japanese carrier to renew its service to the islands.

Rep. David M. Apatang, sponsor of the resolution, stressed the CNMI government should look into the possibility of resuming ANA’s flights to Saipan to help improve the present air transportation situation here.

“They used to serve us. If the interest is still there and the airline wants to come back to the CNMI, we just need to invite them over here,” he told in an interview yesterday.

ANA provided direct flights from key cities in Japan to Saipan during the early 90s when the local tourism industry was its peak, according to Mr. Apatang.

Last year, Tasi Tours chartered ANA flights from Osaka to Saipan to cash in on the anticipated influx of Japanese travelers who celebrated the millennium on the island. Japan is CNMI’s main source of tourists, comprising nearly 80 percent of the total visitors.

The government should grant incentives to the airline if it wants more flights to Saipan, said Mr. Apatang, noting the CPA’s decision to cut its passenger fees and head tax to assist existing carriers servicing the Commonwealth, such as Northwest.

“Now that some of the airlines have been given the incentives, I would like to ask [CPA and the task force] to encourage ANA to come back so that they can serve us again,” he explained. “They will contribute a lot to the tourism industry.”

The Tenorio administration has been trying to entice international carriers for the last two years in a move to cushion impact of downsizing undertaken by Continental Micronesia, the largest airline in the region, since 1997.

Air transportation has become a major problem by the CNMI government following the economic crisis that hit Japan, Korea and much of east Asia, which cut the number of tourists to the islands by as much as 25 percent.

“I’m not sure whether Japan’s economy is doing good, but it seems that Japan Airlines is coming in regularly with a record number of tourists. With the additional airline coming from Japan, it will definitely bring more tourists,” said Mr. Apatang.