United Airlines is planning to resume its Guam-Saipan flights this Saturday, May 2, a month after suspending air services due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
Commonwealth Ports Authority board chair Kimberlyn King-Hinds said yesterday that United Airlines informed CPA that they will resume services beginning May 2, at thrice a week: Monday, Thursday, and Saturday.<\/p>\n
A big question remains, though, since this will be contrary to a standing directive from the CNMI government that discourages travel in and out and between the CNMI islands as a health precaution. King-Hinds said yesterday that that standing directive has not changed yet.<\/p>\n
There is currently no positive COVID-19 case in the CNMI.<\/p>\n
United Airlines\u2019 last flight from Saipan to Guam was on April 5, in which 57 passengers were aboard a 170-seat plane. The airlines\u2019 original plan was to suspend flights only until today, Thursday, April 30, but that was later extended.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, King-Hinds characterized United Airlines\u2019 flight suspension as \u201cunfortunate but necessary and critical to the whole-of-government approach\u201d to identify, contain and isolate the further spread of COVID-19 in the community.<\/p>\n
King-Hinds said the efforts to have flight suspended actually began last January, during the early stage of the pandemic, but there were a lot of hurdles that they needed to get through to make that happen. As it is, only the Federal Aviation Authority has the power to suspend flights in the CNMI.<\/p>\n
Gov. Ralph DLG Torres later requested United Airlines to suspend all flights to and from the CNMI effective April 6 to 30, 2020, in the wake of the then-two confirmed COVID-19 cases and one death in the quarantine center on Saipan.<\/p>\n
Skymark Airlines Inc.\u2019s last flights between Saipan and Japan was on March 25. The suspension of Saipan-Narita, Narita-Saipan operation was supposed to last until May 10, 2020, but the company extended the flight operation suspension until May 31, 2020.
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