MVA: Twice weekly flights from Korea expected to start next month

Following its board hearing last Friday, the Marianas Visitors Authority was excited to announce the extra flights coming in from Korea this upcoming month of December through February.

In a brief interview with MVA managing director Christopher A. Concepcion at their office in Garapan last Friday, he shared that Jeju Air is going to launch twice-weekly flights from Busan to Saipan next month, Dec. 20, through Feb. 25, 2025.

“That’s huge news and great news for the tourism industry, additional airlift. Jeju Air will also resume the second daily flight on Dec. 8. So that will make their operations twice-daily from Incheon and then twice-weekly from Busan.”

He said the Busan flights have a 189-seat capacity with an overall estimate of around 3,000 passengers during the duration of the service. “We’re pumping in some marketing dollars for this flight so that ultimately the goal is to make these flights happen all year round. Right now, they’re seasonal, but the goal of any destination is to have daily, year-round direct flights from the source markets.”

Concepcion shared that companies that helped make this possible are Hana Tours, Leaders Tour, Pacific Islands Club Saipan, Coral Ocean Resort, and Kensington Saipan. “They are collaborating to make these flights happen. So, it’s a great partnership between MVA and stakeholders in the market.”

During the board meeting, Concepcion also mentioned that more direct tourist flights from the Asia-Pacific region are in the works but he couldn’t share the specifics to the press as of yet. The press is expected to hear more in the upcoming months.