TO SAVE FLIGHTS CNMI officials to travel to Taiwan

Officials from the CNMI government are expected to travel to Taipei to meet with their Taiwanese counterparts and business leaders there, as part of overall efforts to ensure continued air transport service between the Asian country and Saipan.

In an interview with reporters yesterday, Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio disclosed he would be joining the CNMI delegation of government officials in a trip to Taiwan early February for a trade mission, that may include a possible meeting with the country’s aviation officials.

However, Mr. Tenorio pointed out that the agenda for the meeting is still being prepared although he did not discount the possibility of a discussion with officials of Mandarin Airlines, especially with the carrier disclosing that a pullout option is being carefully looked at.

“We are still working on the specific details and issues that will be discussed with government officials from Taiwan and part of it could be the air transport service between Taipei and Saipan,” he told reporters.

CNMI officials are confident they will have a good chance at encouraging airline companies to dispatch direct service to the Northern Marianas, especially with the recent decision of the Commonwealth Ports Authority to rollback airport charges and extend the Airline Incentive Program.

CPA in December moved to extend the implementation of an incentive program that gives signatory airlines 50 percent discount on departure facility charge if they are able to bring their visitor traffic 15 percent above their current passenger haul.

During the same time, the CPA Board of Directors also approved the adjustment to existing departure facility charge from the current $8 per passenger to $6.35 beginning Jan. 1, 2001. The new rate will be in effect until Sept. 30, 2001.

CPA Executive Director Carlos H. Salas earlier disclosed efforts by several government agencies to prevent a possible pullout by Mandarin Airlines of its twice-per-week flights from Taipei to Saipan.

CPA has been in close coordination with the Marianas Visitors Authority and the Strategic Economic Development Council since reports on the possible pullout of Mandarin Airlines surfaced earlier this month.

According to Mr. Salas, the discussion, which also involves SEDC’s Air Service Committee, was launched to explore possible means that would help Mandarin Airlines continue with its deployment of flights between Saipan and Taipei.

Collaborative effort also has the participation of major business organizations in the Northern Marianas, including the Saipan Chamber of Commerce and the Hotel Association of the NMI.

While Mandarin has not decided yet on plans to pullout its direct twice-per-week Taipei-Saipan flights, the option is being carefully looked out especially because of the carrier’s declining passenger haul.

Asiana Airlines has already stopped the deployment of Saipan-Pusan flights although this service has been redirected to Seoul, which brings to 10 the total number of flights to the island from the South Korean capital.

While Asiana’s decision has very minimal impact in terms of visitor arrivals and number of direct international flights to the Northern Marianas, Mr. Salas emphasized the merits of being able to sustain the service from the Korean province to the CNMI.

This, even as he mentioned that direct flights which Continental Airlines has scheduled to deploy from Nagoya and Osaka in Japan to Saipan this year would help offset any possible impact of the lost Pusan flights and the impending pullout of the Taipei service.

Continental is resuming the deployment of nonstop flights between Nagoya and Saipan beginning April 1, 2001 following projected growth on the demand for more air transport services from Japan to the islands.

The airline company will use its newly-acquired 737-800 aircraft, which can accommodate a maximum of 155 passengers, in the daily Nagoya-Saipan flights.

The first since it eliminated direct international services to Saipan, Continental Micronesia earlier announced the airline will fly non-stop from Saipan to Osaka four times a week from February 1, 2000 to March 31, 2000.