GOVERNOR Arnold I. Palacios, Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang and other CNMI leaders welcomed the resumption of Hong Kong Airlines’ Saipan flight service whose inaugural flight arrived at 2:30 a.m., Monday, at the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport.
Hong Kong Airlines Chairman Sun “Jeff” Jianfeng, a licensed pilot, was the captain for Flight No. HX76, which had 292 passengers.
On behalf of the governor and the people of the CNMI, Apatang said: “I want to extend our warmest and happiest welcome to all of you on this inaugural flight to our beautiful islands.”
Marianas Visitors Authority Managing Director Chris Concepcion said on behalf of MVA and its travel trade partners, “we are pleased to welcome Hong Kong Airlines back to the Marianas with this first direct flight between Hong Kong and the CNMI since the pandemic.”
“I can tell you, there is a real feeling of anticipation and optimism in the government and especially the private sector with the launch of these flights,” Concepcion added.
He also expressed “tremendous gratitude” to Jianfeng for making the flight a reality.
“We are excited about the positive bookings you are seeing, and believe these bode well for the future of these flights and the greater expansion of connectivity with the Hong Kong Airlines network. We stand ready to welcome your passengers to our beautiful island home [of] Saipan, and we wish Hong Kong Airlines every success in this new partnership,” Concepcion said.
Senate President Edith Deleon Guerrero said, “It is always welcome news for our tourism economy whenever there is a returning or a new airline flying to our islands.”
For his part, House Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez said he would like to thank Hong Kong Airlines for making the CNMI one of its destinations. “We look forward to working with them to bring in more flights and visitors. I would also like to thank all those involved in making this happen. Congratulations!” the speaker said.
House Floor Leader Edwin Propst said the island community welcomes the return of Hong Kong Airlines to the CNMI, and the visitors they will bring “to enjoy our friendly and beautiful islands.”
“I commend MVA, the Commonwealth Ports Authority, and all our partners in the private sector for their efforts to strengthen our relationships with the airlines and [revive] our tourism industry in the post-Covid era. I hope to see more direct routes to the CNMI in the future,” he said.
Commonwealth Ports Authority Executive Director Leo Tudela said, “We are very grateful to Hong Kong Airlines for returning to our beautiful CNMI.” He said the flight service is “great for the economy, private companies and the government.”
“More passengers arriving means more revenue and more jobs. I wish more airlines would make the CNMI their destination of choice,” Tudela said.
