While looking on climbto350.com for another topic, I came across a job posting for 757 CAs & FOs based in Saipan thru 2014.

I know Swift use to operate the 757 for the Mavericks as well as a VIP 767-200 but this posting leads me to think its not with those aircraft.

Anyone have any news? Maybe another attempt at something similar to Fly Guam?

Thanks!

I'm also very very interested

Dunno, I shot off an application via Climbto350 just to get more info. If you hear something please update this thread, and I'll do the same!

Saipan Tribune

Saipan Tribune

Does appear to be similar to Fly Guam, in that Tan Holdings will sell the service primarily through tour operators and will wet-lease someone, currently Swift. In the original press release they were working on a deal with Xtra. Tan Holdings is the financial backer of Asia Pacific, a Guam based 727 cargo operator.

Hum.... I know Xtra is pretty small and maybe they weren't going to be able to be ETOPS certified in time. I'm curious, how hard is it to get a 737EFIS ETOPS ready? I mean its not like there is a big demand for that type of flying with those aircraft so I'm sure its not as easy as other aircraft.

Either way I think the 757 is much more ideally suited for the type of flying Fly Guam did.

Thanks for the info!

FYI you don't need to be ETOPS for SPN NRT or most of JP as I recall.

filejw
I guess I had no idea. Haven't done much dispatching in that part of the world. Just ran a few test flight plans and it seems that if you use RJAW/IWO airport (has a piece of concrete, so it is considered a suitable 60 minute airport per the definition but it is also a PPR military airport with no W/X or public approaches) as a 60 min airport you in fact don't enter ETOPS airspace.

However I seem to recall Fly Guam also flew GUM-HKG and that flight requires ETOPS 120.

Thanks!

IWO is what we used and it has/had a tower and wx and we had Jepp plates. It was 2001 time frame I that flew those trips. We didn't have ETOP's but they may all be now with the 767/757 and 330 flying the trip.

Actually, you can operate GUM-HKG or SPN-HKG as non-ETOPS if you stay within 60 minutes of GUM, YAP, ROR, CEB and MNL. However, it does add about 40 minutes to the trip. The extra fuel burn and time required to do it made Fly Guam not able to compete with United Airlines and Philippine Airlines.

I hope Saipan Air does well. Saipan has not had much jet service since 9-11. Also the island economy has gone south as the US has removed some of the preferential treatment from the garment manufacturing industry that used to be in there.

Its not that the US government removed preferential treatment but China was allowed in. I think that was like 2004 or so. As for flights Delta may even operate more than before but it with smaller a/c. SPN is cool fun place and I hope you guys have a long run with the contract.