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JAL, Russian charter flights in 2007
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Posted on Dec 07 2006
More chartered flights are expected next year from Japan Airlines, and for the first time, Saipan will receive a direct flight from Russia via Dal Avia airline.
This is according to the tourism ad-hoc committees, which reported on their goals and accomplishments during yesterday’s Marianas Visitors Authority general membership meeting at the Hyatt Regency Saipan.
Kanae Quin, chair of the Japan market ad-hoc committee, said JAL is scheduled to make nine chartered flights to Saipan in March 2007. This would translate to some 2,000 additional seats for the year.
JAL, which pulled out from the CNMI route in October 2005 after 28 years of operation, made its first chartered flight to the island last month, bringing in some 300 tourists from Narita.
JAL is expected to hold additional flights this month.
In his remarks in yesterday’s meeting, acting Gov. Timothy P. Villagomez acknowledged JAL’s charter flights among “some progress in the right direction.”
Reporting on the Russian market, presenter Elly Stoilova disclosed that Russian airline Dal Avia plans to hold charter flights to Saipan early next month. She said the chartered flights would take place on Jan. 4 to 14.
“This is what we need—direct flights,” she said.
She cited that the top two challenges in marketing the CNMI in Russia is “the lack of destination recognition and the lack of direct of flights.”
“They don’t have a clue as to where we are,” said Stoilova.
She said the CNMI also needs to work with other Russian airlines on potential charter flights for the 2007 holiday seasons.
The government aims to bring in 10,000 tourists from Russia in 2010. In 2006, Russian arrivals totaled over 1,500.
