Air Nauru open to code-share pact with NW Airlink

In what appears to be a vital sign of the development of the island’s tourism economy, a major foreign airline company based in the Pacific has expressed willingness to enter into an agreement with a local aviation player to aggressively promote Rota as prime tour destination.

“We are very interested to support a code-share relationship with [Northwest Airlink] to allow sales and promotion of Rota,” Air Nauru Chief Executive Officer Owen Coughlan said in an earlier letter to Mayor Benjamin Manglona.

Mr. Coughlan said, however, that Air Nauru’s entry into the Northern Marianas will largely depend on what will be agreed upon by the CNMI and the Nauru governments in as far as ending the travel bilateral traffic rights is concerned.

Mr. Manglona has launched an aggressive action in soliciting support of both the CNMI and federal governments, as well as other foreign organizations, in plans to revitalize Rota’s eco-tourism campaign through airport improvement and increased air transport services.

Air Nauru previously disclosed plans to provide air transport service to the underserved island of Rota through a route that will originate from Australia and Manila, Philippines.

The carrier is proposing to serve the island through the Rota-Saipan-Guam-Palau-Manila or Rota-Saipan-Guam-Palau-Australia routes.

But plans to launch increase air transport services to Rota are likely to be stalled unless the island’s airport facilities get a facelift. Currently, the Rota Airport is not capable of accommodating direct international flights.

Attention is now focused at rehabilitating the more pressing condition of the Rota International Airport’s runway which was considered unsafe for bigger aircraft, derailing efforts to construct a new terminal building for the air transport facility.

Resurfacing the runway of the Rota International Airport would require $3.3 million in total funds which the FAA previously said it could not shell out.

Federal Aviation Administration-Airports District Office Acting Manager Daniel S. Matsumoto previously said there is not enough funds available under the Airport Improvement Program to finance the island’s request for runway surface treatment.

However, Mr. Manglona underscored that unless the island’s airport runway is rehabilitated, economic development plans for Rota is not expected to move forward.

He stressed that a jet service to and from the island would only become possible if and when airport runway and terminal facilities are rehabilitated and improved, thereby, securing the safety of incoming and outgoing passengers.

Mr. Manglona underscored that continuous delay in improvement of the Rota International Airport would be counterproductive in the local government’s serious efforts to advance the island’s economic potentials.

The Commonwealth Ports Authority has bared plans to extend the Rota airport runway to be able to accommodate bigger aircraft direct from Asian countries, although this has to take a back seat in favor of Tinian due to the absence of solid plans to bring in direct international flights.