Earlier this month, Asiana Airlines announced that it will close its Saipan office and end its Icheon-Saipan route following three decades of service in the CNMI on June 30.

“We saw this coming,” Marianas Visitors Authority Managing Director Chris Concepcion told KUAM News. 

Concepcion noted that Asiana Airlines is facing its own financial difficulties. He told KUAM News that they are in bankruptcy proceedings and they expect Korean Air to merge with Asiana this year.

“So we’ve already begun engagement with Korean Airlines. We have some discussion going on behind the scenes so we can make sure we are on their radar for when they are ready to fly to Saipan,” Concepcion explained.

South Korea is now the largest tourism source market for the CNMI, making up 76% of visitors in fiscal year 2024 so far. In 2019, South Korea made up just 40% of the market.