The return of direct flights from Japan to the CNMI was made official last week by the signing of a deal between the CNMI and Skymark Airlines.
Skymark Airlines Boeing 737-800 Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The joint promotional agreement was signed at the low-cost carrier's headquarters in Tokyo.
Direct flights from Japan to the Northern Marianas were stopped last May when United Airlines suspended flights to Saipan, ending decades of the services.
Skymark's inaugural flight to Saipan is planned in the first quarter of 2019.
Charter flights would kick off Skymark's operations to Saipan until they could secure and launch regular scheduled flights. Skymark is Japan's third largest carrier and the first low-cost carrier in Japan.