The US-based airline XTRAirways has been denied landing rights in Saipan because of the international airport's busy night time schedule.
XTRA planned to have three flights a week from China arriving in the Northern Marianas before 5am.
But Customs and border authorities said they did not have enough staff to accommodate more arrivals between midnight and six o'clock in the morning.
They said efforts were underway to improve congestion at immigration in which visitors had been known to queue for hours.
