The new low-cost US airline that promised to connect the East Coast with Japan and Korea is having a rough start

• Northern Pacific Airways launched its first revenue flight between California and Las Vegas on Friday.
• Despite a successful outbound, the airline had to cancel the return due to a “minor maintenance issue.”
• NPA was initially created to offer low fares between the US and Asia, but its plans have faced unexpected hurdles.

Startup airline Northern Pacific Airways is struggling to take off — both figuratively and literally.

On Friday, the new discount carrier finally launched its first-ever revenue flight between Ontario, California, and Las Vegas, officially entering the US market — albeit over a month late after delaying the inaugural initially scheduled for June 2.