Continental resumes nonstop flights to Nagoya

Armed with the projected growth on the demand for more air transport services from Japan to the islands, Continental Micronesia is deploying nonstop flights between Nagoya and Saipan beginning April 1, 2001.

The airline company will use its newly-acquired 737-800 aircraft, which can accommodate a maximum of 155 passengers, in the daily Nagoya-Saipan flights.

Continental Micronesia president Bill Meehan and staff vice president of sales and promotions Walter Dias joined CNMI Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio and House Speaker Benigno R. Fitial yesterday in announcing the carrier’s resumption of direct flights from the Japanese city to Saipan.

Continental’s decision to resume the deployment of nonstop flights to and from the island was prompted by the increasing demand from travel customers in Japan, indicated by official figures recorded in recent months.

“Customer travel demand in Japan has been improving dramatically during the past seven months. It appears that the number of Japanese travelers going abroad may total 17.6 million for the year 2000, breaking the all-time record of 16.8 million set in 1997,” said Mr. Dias.

The region’s largest carrier is hoping to dispatch aircraft with an annual average of 84 percent load factor, which may translate to around 48,000 additional visitors to the Northern Marianas next year.

Deployment of the nonstop daily flights between Nagoya and Saipan represents close to 57,000 airline seats, in addition to the 120,000 passenger slots Continental Micronesia provides to the CNMI through its Guam hub each year.

Mr. Meehan said the Japanese travel market has manifested a stronger rebound, after a two-year slowdown caused by financial upheavals in Asia which weakened the yen’s value compared with the American greenback.

“As we have always indicated, Continental will add capacity to those markets which demonstrate consistently strong demand. We have had, continuous, constructive dialog with the Governor’s office and the Legislature regarding the CNMI market,” he told a press briefing.

Mr. Meehan expressed confidence a corroborative work with the Marianas Visitors Authority in the proper promotion of the island as a prime tour destination in Japan will spell the success of the Nagoya-Saipan flights.

“We are very enthusiastic about adding these flights between Japan and the CNMI and look forward to working with the MVA in properly promoting the CNMI in the Nagoya market,” he added.

The airline official is optimistic the resumption of the nonstop flights to the Japanese city will work to the economic advantage of the CNMI, while also strengthening the islands’ position as a prime tour destination in the Japanese market.

The first since it eliminated direct international services to Saipan, Continental Micronesia earlier announced the airline will fly non-stop from Saipan to Osaka four times a week from February 1, 2000 to March 31, 2000.

Although it has practically abandoned nonstop international services to the island, Continental consistently provides the CNMI direct connecting flights from eight Japanese cities, Hong Kong and Taipei which translate to substantial number of visitors to the Northern Marianas.