Tokyo-based Skymark Airlines is to introduce a service between Japan and the Pacific islands of Saipan and Palau next year.
Acccording to Asia Nikkei, the airline will first operate charter flights to Saipan, in the Northern Mariana Islands, and Palau, this year.
Skymark Airlines Boeing 737-800 Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Skymark is then looking to begin a scheduled service will begin in May or June next year after its fleet expands.
It's the first time the airline is offering scheduled flights outside of its home market.
Skymark only resumed international charter flights in February after filing for bankruptcy in 2015.
It is starting with service to Saipan and Palau after the island governments approached the low-cost carrier to consider establishing a route.
Non-stop flights from Japan to these destinations by Delta Air Lines were terminated last month.
Micronesian islands remain attractive destinations for tourists from China and South Korea, and Skymark believes demand remains firm among Japanese vacationers.
Some 52,000 Japanese tourists visited Saipan, just three and a half hours from Narita, last fiscal year, down from peak levels due in part to decreased flight service.
