Several international airlines are vying to fly Palau’s skies, according to President Tommy Remengesau Jr. during a meeting with the Belau Tourism Association last week.
Remengesau said there are pending airlines applications targeting Palau route.
The president said there is a group from Singapore that wanted to service the Palau route. He also noted that an airline in the Philippines is talking about the potential future in the nation’s tourism market.
Remengesau said Air Niugini is also in negotiation with Palau about the possibility of an air service.
Air Nauru is planning to include Palau in its planned service to Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Guam and the Philippines.
The president also said there an airline in Vietnam is setting its sight on the Palau tourism market by the end of the year.
Palau is also in active negotiation with Skymark, a budget airline from Japan to fill the void left by Delta Airlines, which stopped operating the Palau-Japan route early this year.
The president also said that the Ministry of State has just signed an agreement with the flagship carrier of United Arab Emirates to operate a charter flight to Palau.
The president said China Airlines, which is already flying two times a week flight from Taiwan to here is considering adding a Japan-Palau service.
“There are these interests of airlines coming,” Remengesau said.
The president said the airlines’ interest to bring more tourists to Palau should be complemented with high-end hotel development. (Bernadette H. Carreon)