The Commonwealth Ports Authority has received no feedback yet as to the launching of Air China's proposed scheduled flights between Beijing and Saipan.

CPA acting executive director Stanley Torres Jr. said his office had heard of the federal approval of Air China flights but not on the actual arrivals on Saipan.

"There's nothing yet. We haven't heard of the schedule to Saipan. We're going to follow up on that," said Torres.

The CNMI House of Representatives adopted a resolution in June expressing its full support for Air China's application with the U.S. Department of Transportation to fly to Saipan from Beijing.

Air China filed its application with the federal agency on May 31, 2007.

Based on the application, Air China plans to operate two nonstop flights a week between Saipan and Beijing, beginning July 15, 2007.

It wants an exemption authority to serve the route for at least one year.

Air China planned to operate the initial service with Boeing 777-200 aircraft.

In December 2006, Air China began charter flights between Beijing and Saipan twice a week or every Thursday and Sunday.

The Beijing flights were chartered by Century Tours, an accredited tour agency under the 2004 CNMI-China Approved Destination Status agreement.

Beijing is the third city on the Chinese mainland to have direct flights to the Northern Marianas, after Guangzhou and Shanghai.