XTRA Airways (Fort Lauderdale International) has received approval from the US Department of Transportation (DOT) to delay the start of its proposed service the Northern Mariana Islands to China.

The Florida-based carrier is attempting to launch 3x weekly flights between Saipan and Nanjing and 2x weekly flights between Saipan and Shenzhen. It lodged the request to delay start-up, citing problems with Chinese regulators. And further exacerbating its plans, last week XTRA discovered that it had lost is slots at Saipan.

With the DOT's blessing, XTRA Airways now has until November 30 to start its service.