Japan Airlines wants to fly back to the CNMI\u2014but this time not to the capital island of Saipan but to the nearby Tinian island.<\/p>\n
Commonwealth Ports Authority officials disclosed yesterday that a team from Japan Airlines visited Tinian last week to inspect airport facilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey [JAL] are planning to fly to Tinian,\u201d said Tinian port manager Ike Perez during yesterday\u2019s board meeting.<\/p>\n
He said, though, that no specific timeline was mentioned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re interested but we don\u2019t know when. They\u2019re still doing research,\u201d said Perez.<\/p>\n
CPA executive director Lee Cabrera said JAL\u2019s visit is \u201cexploratory.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur Tinian director met with JAL and showed them the airport. They are looking at the airport facility,\u201d said Cabrera.<\/p>\n
JAL terminated its 28-year flight service to Saipan last October, resulting in a sudden plunge in the number of tourist arrivals in the CNMI. Statistics showed a nearly 30-percent decline in tourist arrivals from the Japan market last month. JAL used to bring in 150,000 tourists a year.<\/p>\n
Cabrera said the Tinian International Airport still lacks the necessary facilities to receive international flights. For instance, he said the ground-handling system remains a problem.<\/p>\n
Among others, he said the airport lacks a stairway to disembark passengers. <\/p>\n
Meantime, CPA board members expressed confidence that JAL would seriously consider Tinian, citing that it is even flying to Majuro, Marshall Islands, and Palau.<\/p>\n
Just shortly after it shocked the CNMI with its pullout last year, a JAL team had visited Majuro for planned charter flights to the atolls.<\/p>\n
JAL\u2019s entry to Majuro was regarded as a major development to finally jump-start its nearly non-existent tourist industry.<\/p>\n
JAL reportedly wanted to bring about 200 tourists a week to Majuro. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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