A Micronesian Air Connection Services aircraft for its CNMI inter-island flight service.
Contributed photo
MICRONESIAN Air Connection Services will start its inter-island flight service in April.
MACS, operated by J&P Holdings, will begin with flights to Tinian and Rota for now, with hopes to expand its services to Guam, a MACS source said. The fares will be announced soon.
J&P Holdings. which plans to invest $8.2 million in the first three years of business in the CNMI, was recommended for a qualifying certificate by the Commonwealth Economic Development Authority on Dec. 20, 2024. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios signed CEDA’s recommendation on Jan. 7, 2025, and the CNMI Office of the Attorney General followed suit on Jan. 9, 2025. A QC entitles a recipient to tax breaks.
CEDA had to do its due diligence by reviewing, among other documents, an independent audit, which is why it took the governor almost a month to sign the QC, the source said.
MACS has been working “super hard” to get the flights off the ground sooner so people don’t have to wait until summer, the source added.
MACS aims to introduce its own “Southwest Effect” to the CNMI. The term, coined by the U.S. Department of Transportation, refers to the transformative impact Southwest Airlines had on the industry when it entered new markets — driving fares down by 50% and spurring fare competition with its low-cost model.
For more information about MACS, go to https://www.flymacs.com/.
