11 Aug 2014

Asiana to suspend CNMI flights for a week

7:48 am on 11 August 2014

A week-long suspension of Asiana Airlines flights between the Northern Marianas and the South Korean Capital, Seoul, will begin on October the 14th.

Last June, South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation ordered the seven-day suspension because of a violation of safety regulations by the airline during a flight to Saipan.

The airline's Saipan regional office manager, Sung-nam Park, says the airline expects to lose between four and five million US dollars during the suspension.

The Northern Marianas Governor, Eloy Inos, has written to the Korean ministry asking for an alternative penalty, citing the potential harm to the country's tourism industry.