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‘Fitial talking with JAL executives’
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Posted on May 30 2005
House Speaker Benigno R. Fitial has been talking with Japan Airlines executives amid reports of the airline’s plan to pull out from the Marianas.
Vice Speaker Timothy Villagomez said Fitial spoke with a JAL manager on Friday. Yesterday, the speaker was expected to continue his discussions with other JAL executives.
“The speaker conveyed his concerns regarding JLA pullout and also the timing,” said Villagomez. “It [JAL pullout] is unfortunate but I think that it’s a corporate decision. However, the CNMI can still do a last-ditch effort and talk with JAL executives to convince them to stay.”
The lawmaker, who chairs the House Committee on Public Utilities, Transportation, and Communications, said he is personally concerned about the impact that JAL’s withdrawal from the Marianas will have on the community.
“The concerns that I have personally are the effect to the community as well a the local employees working for JAL. They will be affected,” he said.
Further, he noted that JAL’s affiliate, Nikko Hotel Saipan, benefits substantially from JAL flights.
The Governor’s Office and the Marianas Visitors Authority plan to lead a delegation to Japan either this weekend or next week to appeal to JAL. At the same time, the CNMI delegation, which may be headed by Gov. Juan N. Babauta, would meet with officials of other airlines to entice them to serve the CNMI route.
The MVA earlier said that it would also tap the assistance of the Japanese government, the U.S. Embassy in Japan, and other groups.
JALWays, which operates 14 weekly flights to Saipan from Tokyo and Osaka, has indicated plans to suspend all flights to Saipan due to rising operational costs. The air carrier is expected to issue an official notice in early July and execute the pullout starting October 2005.
The airline’s plan has caused alarm within the local tourism industry. About 50 percent of Japanese visitors to the CNMI reportedly take JALWays flights.
Japan is the Northern Marianas’ primary tourism market, comprising 70 percent of total arrivals to the islands.
