The island, he added, also needs more promotion to entice more tourists to come and help spur the local economy.
“We need to promote the island, but having only two flights a day is a big challenge for us,” Mendiola said.
Rota gets regular visitors directly from Japan through charter flights scheduled each year, but in the wake of the earthquake and the tsunami that hit Japan recently, all the charter flights to Rota have been cancelled.
“It is sad but this is something that is beyond our control,” the mayor added.
With additional flights to Rota, Mendiola said they hope to lower the prices of commodities on island.
“All our goods — from groceries, fruits and vegetables to beverages and everything else are being flown here, and the vendors have to add the cost of air freight on top of the value of the goods,” he said.
Once the military buildup on Guam pushes through, the mayor believes that Rota will be the nearest place for rest and recreation for the military and their families, but the limited flights to this island can be a challenge.
Mendiola said hopefully, when Cape Air resumes its flight service, the operation hours will be convenient to commuters.
Last week, Rep. Teresita A. Santos told the Variety that Cape Air assured her that it was resuming its flights to Rota starting June 30.
Cape Air suspended its passenger air service to the Rota in October last year to perform aircraft maintenance.
