SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands—Philippine Airlines has postponed its planned return to Saipan until October, raising fresh concerns about tourism recovery in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands just months after Super Typhoon Sinlaku devastated the US territory.
The delay was confirmed by Marianas Visitors Authority (MVA) acting managing director Judy Torres during a legislative hearing this week.
"Philippine Airlines has postponed their resumption to October," Torres told lawmakers.
Commonwealth Ports Authority board chair Bart Jackson also confirmed the postponement, saying PAL had originally planned to resume flights on June 22.
"We were hoping that Philippine Airlines told us they were coming back the night after on June 22nd, but it looks like they've chosen to delay their flights until the winter season, which is sometime in October," Jackson said.
He said the delay reflects the realities facing the tourism industry as the CNMI continues recovering from the storm.
"The reality is, I think it's difficult to accept tourists in our current condition," Jackson said. He noted that many hotel rooms remain occupied by Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel, Red Cross workers, and other recovery teams, adding that "there's not a lot of room for tourists."
Torres warned lawmakers that the CNMI's air service remains fragile and that the territory cannot afford additional setbacks.
"Airline seat capacity is down 66% from 2018. Visitor arrivals are at historic lows. And just last month, T-Way closed its Saipan office, reminding us how fragile our air service is. Once an airline leaves, it's even harder and more expensive to bring them back," she said.
MVA is seeking restoration of $960,235.74 in tobacco settlement funds that would be used primarily for airline service stabilization and destination marketing.
"The $960,235 directly addresses two urgent priorities. First is airline service stabilization. Airline service is our lifeline," Torres said. "Without stable air access, there is no tourism recovery, no economic recovery, and no path to rebuild our revenue base."
He said the loss of South Korean carrier T'way Air leaves Jeju Air as the CNMI's only Korean airline and will reduce available airline seats from that market by roughly 5,000 per month.
Several other airlines have also delayed the resumption of service. Jeju Air is expected to become the first international carrier to return on June 21 after night operations resumed at Saipan International Airport on June 20. Hong Kong Airlines has delayed its return until July 12, while United Airlines has pushed back the restart of its direct Narita-Saipan route until Aug. 2.
Sen. Jude U. Hofschneider said the latest airline developments underscore the challenges facing the industry.
"I just wanted to voice out that I am deeply concerned with the recovery of tourism," he said.
