China Airlines plans to fly Taiwan-Saipan

Following a successful deployment of flights between Taipei and Guam, China Airlines is planning to expand its air transport services to Saipan by middle of this year, according to Ports Authority Executive Director Carlos H. Salas.

Mr. Salas revealed that talks are already underway between CPA officials and China Air executives on the possibility of deploying flights between Taiwan’s capital and Saipan by June or July this year.

China Airlines has access to all United States airports. It currently provides air transport service to the neighboring island of Guam and was the subject of an invitation by the Governor’s Aviation Task Force to expand to Saipan.

Its subsidiary, Mandarin Airlines, earlier wrote CPA signifying its plan to ferry Taiwanese passengers between Taipei and Saipan using 737-800 aircraft on a charter schedule beginning either May or June this year.

The aircraft can accommodate more than 120 passengers.

Mandarin Air was initially focused at servicing domestic routes in Taiwan. The carrier is however expanding to international flights and has expressed intention to provide air service to the island.

The move is seen to provide the necessary push to the Commonwealth’s ailing travel sector since it would mean new market for Northern Marianas tourism heavily dependent on Japanese and Korean travelers.

Taiwan has a stable economy making its people a potential market for the islands’ billion-dollar tourism industry.

However, CPA may still have to coordinate efforts to entice China Airlines to service Saipan with the Department of Labor and Immigration and the Marianas Visitors Authority to address possible impediments on the entry of travelers from Taiwan.

DOLI has implemented restrictions on the entry of People’s Republic of China nationals into the Northern Marianas, citing problems previously encountered by the CNMI in dealing with numerous Chinese overstayers.

Beijing has previously been uncooperative in the re-admission of deported Chinese nationals who were found to have illegally stayed in the CNMI.

Although Taiwan is not part of the PROC, Mr. Salas explained there may still be a need to coordinate the matter with DOLI and MVA to pave the road for a smooth sailing discussion between aviation officials and airline executives.

CNMI officials last year explored the possibility of tapping the huge Taiwanese travel market through discussions with Taipei-based carrier Far Eastern Air Transport Corporation for the deployment of flights between Saipan and Taiwan.

The Governor’s Aviation Task Force cited the growing number of Taiwanese travelers flying to Guam as indicated by China Airlines’ flight services to Saipan’s neighboring island.

Members of the Aviation Task Force have made previous efforts to entice the airline company to field direct Taipei-Saipan flights. They have exchanged communication with the Richmond International Travel & Tours Co., after visiting FAT office in November 1998.

In September 1998, FAT was reported to have applied for license from the United States Department of Transportation in Washington DC, after it expressed intentions to provide direct international flights from Taipei to Tinian.

FAT was proposing to use Boeing 757 aircraft, which, aside from 727 models, is the only bigger airplane model that can be accommodated by the existing runway of the West Tinian International Airport.