Continental to fly direct Taiwan-Saipan flights

Continental Airlines, the world’s sixth-largest carrier, announced Friday to offer non-stop services between Taipei and Saipan twice a week starting next month.

The new service is aimed at increasing the number of Taiwanese tourists to the capital of the Commonwealth of Northern Marianas, the airline said at a press conference in Taipei.

According to the Marianas Visitors Authority, there were only 700 Taiwanese citizens visiting the capital island in the last fiscal year ended September, compared with the total outbound volume of over 5.92 million Taiwanese last year.

With the help of this new direct flight services, the authority hopes to boost the number of Taiwanese visiting Saipan to 12,000 people per year, said the authority’s managing director Vicky Benavente.

The direct flight will take 3.5 hours. (PR)