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China Eastern to provide Beijing charter flights by Jan.
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Posted on Nov 29 2005
While charter flights from Japan are expected to augment passenger traffic from the CNMI’s premier tourist market in December, two other charter flights from Beijing, China will bring in passengers to Saipan in January for the Chinese New Year.
Pacific Oriental, Inc. general manager Frank Camacho said the charter flights by China Eastern Airlines have been scheduled to come into Saipan on Jan. 29 and 31, 2006. POI will provide ground-handling services for the charters.
Those charter flights would add to the four weekly charters from China. Tinian Dynasty & Casino charters the China Southern Airlines for two flights weekly from Guangzhou, China. It partners with Century Tours in chartering two China Eastern Airlines flights weekly from Shanghai.
Tinian Dynasty charters flights from Beijing during long Chinese holidays—the Chinese New Year, and the periods May 1-7 and Oct. 1-7.
The Marianas Visitors Authority sees China as a surging tourist market for the CNMI, especially with the Chinese government’s grant to the Commonwealth of Approved Destination Status.
To date, however, no air carrier provides regular flights from China to the CNMI.
When Japanese arrivals went down last October following the pullout of Japan Airlines from Saipan, the MVA said it would expand other tourist markets, including China, to fill the void left by Japanese air carrier.
The China market, however, posted a 3-percent decline during that month. The MVA said the market was strong in arrivals due to the celebration of the Chinese Golden Week For the first week of October, but the trend did not continue throughout the month.
