Federal study on open skies with Asian allies sought to allow Guam, CNMI transits
- Admin
- Aug 12
- 2 min read
By Pacific Island Times
Sen Jesse Lujan is seeking a federal study on a limited air cabotage exemption for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands to facilitate open skies with the United States' key allies in Asia.
The proposed study would look into "the strategic and operational benefits" of authorizing select air carriers from South Korea, Japan, the Philippines and Australia to operate international commercial air routes between U.S. ports that transit through Guam or the CNMI, Lujan said.
“Specifically, it would examine scenarios in which a foreign carrier may pick up passengers or cargo at a foreign port, stop in Guam or the CNMI, continue to a U.S. port such as Los Angeles or Houston,” Lujan wrote in a letter to U.S. Sens. Rick Scott and Ted Budd, members of Senate Armed Services Committee.
Lujan, chair of the 38th Guam Legislature’s federal affairs committee, requested the U.S. senators to propose an amendment to the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act that would direct the Secretary of Defense, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Homeland Security to conduct a feasibility study on a limited air cabotage exemption applicable to the U.S. territories.
He pointed out that while serving as critical nodes in U.S. military posture in the region, Guam and the CNMI are burdened with transportation challenges, including extremely high airfares and limited connectivity.
“This disproportionately affects servicemembers, military families and Department of Defense contractors who rely on affordable and flexible commercial air options for travel, leave, emergency response and resupply,” Lujan said.
Currently, United Airlines has a monopoly on the Guam and CNMI markets.
“The current lack of airline competition in the region results in travel costs that are often prohibitive,” he added.
Lujan noted that the U.S. senators, who visited Guam, “have heard the cries from servicemembers who face challenges visiting their families in the mainland to attend weddings, funerals, and graduations, due to the absurd cost of travel from Guam.”
The Republican senator is proposing a “structured, geographically limited cabotage exemption, centered on allied interoperability and Indo-Pacific force mobility.”
The proposed exemption, he added, could enhance “military readiness and humanitarian logistics; civil-military dual-use infrastructure at key airfields and ports; cost-effective mobility for uniformed and civilian DoD personnel, and island residents.”
“The amendment would not grant direct exemption but would require an interagency study of its legal, economic and security feasibility, including
consultation with Indo-Pacom, Transportation Command, Federation Aviation Authority, and local governments,” Lujan said.
“It would also assess safeguards to ensure compliance with applicable law and treaty obligations," he added.
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