Star Marianas Air (S2, Tinian) has clinched a five-year contract to provide on-demand services for United States Department of Defense (DOD) personnel between Guam International and the Northern Mariana Islands, a US Commonwealth in the Pacific Ocean, the airline announced.
The parties signed a five-year blanket purchase agreement on April 1 after the DOD’s Commercial Airlift Review Board had approved SMA’s entry into the DOD Air Transportation Programme. This followed on-site evaluations in October 2021 by DOD inspectors of SMA’s maintenance facility on Tinian and its flight operations on Saipan and Tinian.
“This is a significant affirmation of SMA’s maintenance and flight operations,” commented Star Marianas Air President Shaun Christian. “Receiving approval from the Commercial Airlift Review Board puts SMA among a select group of airlines that are authorised to provide flight services to DOD personnel.”
With its headquarters on the island of Tinian, Star Marianas Air is the only US airline based in the Northern Mariana Islands.
It began operating in April 2009 as an air taxi providing charter flights between Saipan and Tinian. Between 2009 and 2012 the airline increased its fleet and began service to Rota International and Guam. It has been certified to provide scheduled flight service within the Marianas since 2014.
Its fleet consists of eight Piper (single piston) PA-32-300 Cherokee Six aircraft and five Piper (twin turboprop) PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftains, according to the company website.
