CPA not party in arrangement for CBP officers at Rota airport
The Commonwealth Ports Authority says although it sympathizes with the people of Rota—who may be losing direct flight service to Guam—the arrangement for U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel at the Rota Internal Airport is not CPA’s responsibility.
Last Wednesday, CPA executive director Leo Tudela responded to Star Marianas Air, Inc. letter for clarification on whether CPA would be making arrangements or not for adequate CBP personnel at the Rota International Airport.
CBP pre-screening for flights from Rota to Guam is required and up until now, Star Marianas has been transporting CBP personnel, free of charge, to and from Rota as there is no CBP officers stationed at the Rota airport.
In a recent letter to CPA, Star Marianas says it can no longer continue this service and sought clarity on whether CPA would be arranging for CBP personnel on Rota or else they would have to cancel their Rota-Guam flights starting Oct. 1.
According to Tudela, although he sympathizes with the Rota community, CPA was never a party in the arrangement for CBP personnel on Rota.
“Although I sympathize with those that will be affected by SMA’s choice to discontinue providing transportation for CBP personnel, I want to be clear that the transportation arrangement was between CBP and SMA, not CPA. CPA was never a part to the arrangement/agreement,” said Tudela.
In response to Tudela, Star Marianas board chair Robert Christian said while Star Marianas understands that CPA is not directly responsible for transporting CBP personnel to Rota, CPA, as the managing authority for the airport, holds the ultimate responsibility for ensuring that all required services are in place to support the operations of airlines and facilitate passenger travel.
“Thank you for your letter acknowledging the CPA’s position regarding its lack of direct participation in the provision of CBP pre-clearance services at the Rota airport. While we understand that CPA may not be directly responsible for delivering these services, it is important to emphasize that the CPA, as the managing authority for the airport, holds the ultimate responsibility for ensuring that all required services are in place to support the operations of airlines and facilitate passenger travel. The availability of CBP pre-clearance services is critical to maintaining scheduled flights between Rota and Guam and ensuring that passengers meet U.S. entry requirements,” he said.
As the authority responsible for airport management, Christian says CPA must ensure that appropriate arrangements are made with CBP to provide the necessary services for pre-clearance.
“Without these services, the viability of scheduled routes such as ours becomes jeopardized, and it is ultimately within CPA’s mandate to ensure the proper facilitation of these essential services. Given the gravity of this situation, I must reiterate that the provisioning of required services falls within the CPA’s jurisdiction and responsibility, in coordination with CBP. If these services are not facilitated, airlines like Star Marianas will face significant operational challenges, including potential cancellations, which will directly impact passengers and the broader transportation network,” Christian said.
In light of this, Christian says he strongly urges CPA to take a more active role in ensuring that CBP services are made available at the Rota Airport.
“We are open to discussing how Star Marianas can assist in facilitating this process, but the responsibility must reside with CPA and CBP to deliver these services effectively and in a timely manner. I look forward to your response and to working collaboratively to address this issue and avoid disruption to critical flight service,” he said.
Leo B. Tudela
