MSA inaugural flight in August

Marianas Southern Airways posted this picture on its Facebook page last Saturday with the caption that its spare plane has arrived. In a previous post, it said that the first two of its brand-new Tecnam twin engine are ready to be delivered to the CNMI and that it expects to be flying by mid-August. (MARIANAS SOUTHERN AIRWAYS)

The CNMI’s newest interisland air service provider, Marianas Southern Airways, says it is on track to launch its inaugural flight as early as August.

For the past few months, Marianas Southern Airways has been teasing the entire CNMI community, first with promotional fare rates, followed by a series of posts promising the launch of its booking website “soon.” However, in a Facebook post as of last week, the airline finally announced that they tentatively expect to launch their inaugural flight in August.

“We expect to be flying by mid-August. Thank you for your patience. It will be worth the wait,” the post said.

The announcement came after Marianas Southern Airways announced in a post on their social media page that their first two Tecnam aircrafts are now on the way to the CNMI.
“The first two of our brand-new Tecnam twin-engine airconditioned aircraft are ready to be delivered to the CNMI. One is currently in the USA and the other in Italy! We’ve had a slight delay with their arrival due to permissions necessary to ferry them through various countries, and a ban on ferrying them through Russia. This has forced us to change our plans and find alternative routes for delivery. We apologize for the delay but will be opening our website as soon as we confirm the delivery dates,” a post on their Facebook page stated.

Although their aircraft have yet to arrive, Marianas Southern Airways announced over the weekend that their spare plane has successfully landed on Saipan.

Marianas Southern Airways is still in the process of completing its ticketing and departure office at the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport and launching its website so passengers can start booking their interisland trips.

According to a previous article on the Saipan Tribune, Marianas Southern Airways is offering promotional fares for as low as $39 for a one-way trip to Tinian, $69 for a one-way trip to Rota, and an unbelievable $99 one-way trip to Guam. This is nearly half the current airfares of its competitor, Star Marianas Airlines.

At launch, the airline plans to offer over 90 weekly flights serving Saipan, Tinian, Rota, and Guam and, through Southern Airways’ interline agreement with United Airlines, provides the ability to make a reservation from Tinian, Rota, or Saipan to anywhere in the United network.

Marianas Southern Airways is a joint venture between Saipan’s MP Enterprises and Southern Airways Express, one of America’s largest regional airlines.

It will operate the all-new Tecnam P2012 Traveler aircraft, known as the world’s most advanced twin-engine turbocharged piston aircraft. The nine-seat aircraft features generous luggage allowances to complement its sleek and modern interior design, which includes LED reading lights, overhead air conditioning controls, and ergonomic seats with a USB port, armrest, and cup holder for each passenger.