Expiration of charter pact with Mandarin Air worries MVA

With the expiration of the charter agreement between Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino and Mandarin Air on Nov. 17, tourism officials are now looking for ways on how the airline can continue its Taipei-Saipan direct service until the end of this year.

Marianas Visitors Authority Board Chair Dave M. Sablan said Mandarin Air’s decision to push through with the scheduled twice a week Taipei-Saipan direct service will depend on whether the charter agreement can still be extended until December 2000.

“It is very critical that Mandarin Air continue flying for one more month even after the expiration of the charter agreement that’s why we have to look for another group to do it,” said Mr. Sablan.

The airline executives will have to push back the scheduled direct service to March 2001 if the charter agreement will not be renewed by at least another month.

Mr. Sablan and MVA Managing Director Perry Tenorio met with Mandarin Air executives and tour operators last week in Taipei in an effort to increase traffic in the CNMI.

During the meeting, the MVA officials asked Mandarin Air if they can add two more flights to the current two flights a week. The tourism office is willing to implement a joint promotional program with the tour operators by providing funding to market the Northern Marianas to Taipei.

Mr. Sablan said MVA will meet with the Tinian Mayor Francisco Borja and the Tinian Casino Gaming Control Commission this week to resolve the problem of continuing the direct service.

“We have to move quickly because it will mean losing the Taiwanese market for a month if nobody takes over the charter service,” he said.

Mandarin Air may be able to increase flights to Saipan when three new Boeing 737-800 aircraft purchased by its parent company, China Airlines, arrive in January and February of next year. The airline has scheduled to deploy 69 flights until the end of the year.

Travelers from Taiwan have slowly made significant mark in the tourism industry as the Taipei-based carrier reported that it has exceeded the 80 percent load factor target in the first four months of its flight services to the island.

With the beginning of direct air service between Taipei and Saipan, Commonwealth officials are expecting to get a good share of over five million Taiwanese who take overseas travel once every year.

At least one in every four Taiwanese travel abroad every year although mainland China has remained the most popular destination in recent years. The island-nation, which is home to 22 million people, has one of the best standards of living in the world.