Plight of Marshall Islands Air has grim consequences

The Marshall Islands is a small nation in the North Pacific that has been in the unenviable position of having no domestic air services for six months.
There have been local reports that the lack of domestic air services has meant some sick people on the islands were unable to be air lifted to hospital and later died.
This is a tragic situation that should have never been allowed to occur.
The country's only airline - national carrier Air Marshall Islands - has three aircraft, namely a Bombardier Dash 8 and two Dornier 228s.
But all three have been grounded due to corrosion damage.
Air Marshall Islands was originally planning to get he Dash 8 back in the air last November.
The carrier's route manager Tony Phillips told me today there was a delay in getting the aircraft fixed and the delay was caused by a lack of funding.
Fortunately the airline's Dash 8 will be back in commercial service on 23 April onwards thanks to a $1.6 million grant from Taiwan.
Some of the money was used to replace the Dash 8's landing gear and the airline now plans to send one Dornier 228 to Germany for repair, he says.
The other Dornier 228 cannot be fixed, says Phillips, adding that the airline is in the market to buy another 228.
It is fortunate that Taiwan's efforts to win friends in the Pacific has inadvertently helped to save lives in the Marshall Islands but it is sad that this small island nation appears to lack the resources to maintain its airline.