3 airlines eyed for Saipan-Taiwan route

Four CNMI government and business representatives will hold a series of talks with airline officials in Taiwan beginning Monday, in an effort to replace Continental Micronesia’s terminated direct service between Saipan and Taipei.

Those who will be making the trip are Commonwealth Ports Authority executive director Carlos Salas, Marianas Visitors Authority board member JM Guerrero, Strategic Economic Development Council co-chair Bob Jones, and Dai-Ichi Hotel Saipan Beach general manager Jackson Yang.

Salas said the delegation would meet with at least three airline companies whose names he declined to identify.

“We will ask them to provide direct service to Saipan. This is an effort to get some of the routes back,” he said.

Continental used to operate direct Saipan-Taipei flights, as part of its Guam-Taipei service. However, the airline terminated the Saipan stop beginning Oct. 31, 2005—a year after the service was introduced.

Continental Micronesia’s twice-weekly nonstop flights caused Taiwan arrivals to increase from 497 in fiscal year 2004 to 2,771 in fiscal year 2005.

Continental had said that a number of factors contributed to its decision to terminate the flight, citing the increasing fuel costs, declining fares, and weak market demand.

“The leisure market from Taiwan to Micronesia struggled to produce sufficient customers to justify continued service. Skyrocketing fuel costs severely impacted the viability of this marginally performing market. Like other airlines in the region, the increasing fuel costs have forced Continental Micronesia to reassess markets for viability in current circumstances,” the airline had said in a statement.

Continental Micronesia president and chief executive officer Mark A. Erwin had added, “In spite of our efforts to promote the destinations of Guam and Saipan to Taiwanese visitors, this route performed poorly for us.”

The nonstop Saipan-Taipei service allowed Taiwanese travelers to visit the Northern Marianas without having to comply with U.S. visa requirements. Federal immigration regulations require certain nationalities, including Taiwan, to present a U.S. visa when entering or even transiting through the continental United States, Hawaii, Alaska, and U.S. territories including Guam.