Flights continue, but CNMI not ready for tourists in Sinlaku aftermath

Flights into and out of the CNMI have resumed in the wake of Super Typhoon Sinlaku, with both international and inter-island services operating under limited conditions, according to Commonwealth Ports Authority board chair Bartley Jackson.

“Saipan International Airport is accepting flights. That’s the good news,” Jackson told Marianas Press in an interview this afternoon, April 21. “Rescue flights have been coming in since Saturday. United Airlines will continue to fly dailies on their regular schedule moving forward indefinitely. There is no plan whatsoever to cancel the United flights from Guam. Any rumors about the cancellation of those flights are simply incorrect.”

However, operations remain constrained due to storm damage to airport infrastructure.

“There’s currently no water. There’s a power challenge. There’s an electrical distribution challenge. The gates were damaged. Some other equipment was damaged. Navigational systems were damaged,” he said. “So the first thing is that requires that we only provide access to daytime flights. That’s the first most important thing.”

Jackson confirmed that some international carriers have adjusted or halted service due to the restrictions.

“As you know, Philippine Airlines was a red-eye, middle-of-the-night flight. We went to all of our airlines and informed them that we would only be accepting daytime flights,” he said. “Some of them said, okay, we’ll schedule another time. Philippine Airlines said they didn’t have any aircraft to run during the daytime. And so they would be canceling their flights for the time being.”

Inter-island travel, meanwhile, has largely avoided disruption.

“My understanding is inter-island flights, because the commuter terminal is a different terminal, was almost not damaged at all,” Jackson said. “And there really are no night flights. My understanding is those are as scheduled.”

Despite the gradual resumption of air service, Jackson stressed that the Commonwealth is not in a position to welcome visitors.

“Clearly, the island is not ready for tourists,” he said. “The island is already accepting lots of [Federal Emergency Management Agency] personnel, lots of [American] Red Cross personnel, lots of federal personnel here to help the CNMI recover. It’s not currently a tourist destination.”

He added that the absence of some international carriers is not a concern under current conditions.

“And so the fact that T-Way [Air] and Jeju [Air] and Hong Kong Airlines are currently not servicing us, it to me is not an issue,” Jackson said. “At some point, as the hotels reopen for tourists, then I’m confident that all of those flights will return to regular service.”

Jackson emphasized that all operational decisions are being guided by safety considerations.

“CPA’s principal job is the safety and security of the people who fly,” he said. “And so all of the decisions being made are being made with the number one priority being the safety of travelers, whether they’re rescue personnel, whether they’re CNMI residents coming back, or whether they fit in between businesses coming back here to help the islands recover.”