MICRONESIAN Air Connection Services or MACS launched its Saipan-Rota route at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, April 21 with a special flight for CNMI officials and the local media.
Gov. Arnold I. Palacios, U.S. Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds, Speaker Edmund Villagomez, Rep. Julie Ogo, Sen. Celina Babauta, Sen. Ronnie Calvo, and Marianas Visitors Authority Managing Director Jamica Taijeron were among the passengers.
“There’s no question that new air connectivity to the islands of Rota, Tinian, Guam and Saipan is badly needed,” the governor said. “We only have one, and if that goes, [or] something happens to the other airline, then we’re going to be in real trouble. It has happened a couple of times, or several times, in the past five to 10 years.”
The flight from Saipan to Rota takes approximately 30 minutes. MACS’ Cessna Grand Caravan fits nine passengers and features individual leather seats for comfort. The aircraft is also air-conditioned, flies at a maximum speed of 214 miles per hour, and can reach an altitude of 25,000 feet.
At the Rota airport, Mayor Aubry Hocog greeted the newly arrived passengers.
“This is another great opportunity to expand the number of flights between Rota and Saipan, and we’re equally excited for Micronesian Air to schedule their flights between Rota and Guam,” she said, adding that Guam is a potential market that can stimulate the local economy.
Hocog said for those with medical needs, the MACS air service provides options.
“Many times, when [patients are] done with their [medical] appointments, they have to stay [on Saipan for] quite a while because there are no available seats, and it is costly to charter. And so having another airline to provide additional seats is good for our people,” Hocog said.
She said infrastructure projects on Rota are in the contract awarding phase, and the island could soon host a number of events now that another airline is providing flight service.
“We are working very hard to address a lot of our internal infrastructure so that we can host [events],” she said. “We would love to welcome people, visitors, host more community programs, more sports competitions, but we want to make sure our facilities are up to par and that our public facilities are ready,” she added.
For more information about MACS, go to flymacs.com/.
CNMI officials and MACS founders Paula and John Stewart, center, cut the ceremonial ribbon to start the air service to Rota at MACS’ As Lito hangar.
A Cessna Grand Caravan flies the inaugural MACS Saipan-Rota service on Monday, April 21. Rota is visible ahead of the plane.
Rota Mayor Aubry Hocog and other island residents welcome the passengers of MACS’s inaugural flight to the Friendly Island.
Rota Mayor Aubry Hocog talks with Gov. Arnold I. Palacios, one of the passengers of the inaugural MACS Saipan-Rota flight on Monday, April 21.
Gov. Arnold I. Palacios joined community leaders and partners at the inaugural flight ceremony of Micronesian Air Connections Services, celebrating the launch of the Saipan-Rota-Saipan route and a new chapter in regional connectivity for the Marianas.
Office of the Governor photo
Gov. Arnold I. Palacios gestures as he speaks during the inaugural flight ceremony of Micronesian Air Connections Services at its As Lito hangar on Monday.