Saipan airport fully reopened to commercial traffic around the clock on November 20, more than three weeks after Typhoon Yutu caused substantial damage to the facility in late October and forced its closure.
The Saipan Tribune reported that so far, only United Airlines resumed flights to the airport from Guam International. t'way Air (TW, Daegu), HK Express, Jeju Air, China Eastern Airlines, and Sichuan Airlines are expected to follow shortly.
The airport previously opened to daytime traffic only on November 15, while repair works continued through the night.
The Commonwealth Ports Authority, the airport operator, said that while it was now safe and possible to accept round-the-clock traffic, the airport is still not fully repaired. The air traffic controllers are still operating from a provisional mobile tower after the permanent structure was destroyed. The local terminal is also not open yet.
"We’re trying to make it okay to make the flights come in," CPA executive director Christopher S. Tenorio said.
On November 17, the smaller Tinian airport also reopened for commercial services. Out of the three Northern Mariana airports, Rota International was affected the least and reopened shortly after Typhoon Yutu struck.
