XTRAirways gets OK to fly to NMI

The Commonwealth Ports Authority has approved XTRAirways plan to fly the China-Saipan route effective Sept. 20.

The Florida-based carrier will join the roster of airlines such as Jeju Air, Jin Air, HK Airlines, Beijing Capital, T’Way, Easter, China Eastern, and Philippine Airlines that fly to Saipan in the midnight to 6am schedule.

The approval was stated in a CPA letter dated Aug. 29, 2017, sent to several government agencies.

XTRAirways is set to fly from China to Saipan six times a week in the 4am and 5am arrival times. Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday will accommodate the 4am flight and Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday will accommodate the 5am flight.

The Marianas Visitors Authority welcomes XTRAirway’s entry to the growing CNMI tourism market. “The MVA is pleased,” said MVA executive director Chris Concepcion.

XTRAirways does not only plan to have flights from China to Saipan and vice versa. They plan to make the CNMI their base for Pacific operations.

“XTRAirways has plans to base their fleet of aircraft and crew in the CNMI if these flights are successful, opening up opportunities for additional flying to Japan, Taiwan, Guam, and other regional destinations,” Concepcion said.

At the last CPA board meeting, XTRAirways Pacific operations manager Thomas Nolte shared that XTRAirways has invested heavily in preparation for their operations in the CNMI.

“So many things have been done. We have hired CNMI residents, $3 million worth of equipment is under 24-hour guard at the airport in preparation for the flight and maintenance of aircraft and XTRAirways aircrafts have been modified to suit the climate in the region,” Nolte said.

Concepcion noted that the U.S. Customs Border and Protection’s reason for denying XTRAirways last week due to the lack of manpower is a federal issue.

“The fact that there are not enough CBP employees to handle additional visitors is a federal issue and we hope that they are able to beef up manpower in the CNMI to accommodate our growing tourism industry.”

Concepcion said the MVA is willing to work with CBP and CPA so that no airline will be denied entry to the CNMI.

“We must work together to get to the point where CBP or CPA never have to deny airlines or visitors from entering the CNMI due to manpower or facility constraints.”

MVA is the marketing arm of the CNMI, promoting tourism on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota to the world.

“Tourism is the lifeblood of the CNMI. Without these tourists, we will have no economy to speak of—no funding to pay for many existing government obligations, no funding for infrastructure improvements and the list goes on,” Concepcion said

“The MVA is excited about the new opportunities available with XTRAirways flying to the CNMI in a couple of weeks. We wish them the best and offer our support in promoting the CNMI to their customer base,” he added.

Last week, the CBP, through director Robert Havens, said that they had to deny XTRAiways to fly in the midnight to 6am schedule due to lack of resources to process the flight in a timely fashion.

The schedule from midnight to 6am is notorious for long immigration lines that last three to four hours and the CPA and MVA have been working to decongest the lines.

Havens had also stated that if CPA gives approval to XTRAirways, they will find a way to make it work. “CPA can give them approval. If CPA thinks they can handle the airline, we say yes,” he say.

XTRAirways confirmed that preparations are being made for the success of their maiden flight from China to Saipan on Sept. 20.