THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION WASHINGTON , D.C. 20590

April 03, 2014

The Honorable Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515
Dear Co ngres sman Sablan:
Thank you for your letter regarding the application ofNorwegian Air International Limited (NAI) for authority to conduct U.S. services.
Given that a number of interested parties have filed responsive pleadings to NAI ' s application and this matter is currently pending before the Department, I am sure you understand that I cannot comment on the merits ofNAI's application. I as s ure you , however , that we will give full and careful consideration to all of the pleadings filed on the record before we reach a determination in this matter.
As i s our standard practice, I am placing a copy of your le tter and my response in Docket DOT-OST-2013-0204 , as a contact outside the record of this case. You may track the progre s s of this case and view the publicly available documents filed in the docket by accessing the Federal Docket Management System at www.regulations.gov and searching for Docket DOT-OST-2013-0204.
I hope this information is helpful. Sincerely ,

Anthony R

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The Honorable Anthony Foxx Secretary U.S. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue , SE Washington, DC 20590
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I write to express my concern regarding the application (DOT

- OST

- 2013

- 0204) submitted by Norwegian Air International Limited (NAI), a subsidiary of Norwegian Air Shuttle (NAS), which seeks exemption authority and a foreign air carrier permit from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).
I understand that NAI is concurrently seeking an air carrier certificate from Ireland in order to operate as an Irish air carrier instead of a Norwegian one, and is hiring lower-waged pilots and flight crews based in Southeast Asia. It appears that NAS intends to establish a new airline in order to skirt Norwegian labor laws for flights to and from the U.S.
Should NAI be granted a foreign air carrier permit from DOT, it would be permitted to fly to and from the U.S. under an outsourcing business model that could put U.S. airlines at a competitive disadvantage and threaten U.S. airline industry jobs. Also , although it seeks to become an Irish airline , it does not seem that NAI will be conducting air transportation services from Ireland, calling into question how regulatory oversight ofNAI's operations will be conducted.
The economy of the Northern Mariana Islands is heavily dependent upon the airline industry and the tourism it brings. Public confidence in the safety of air travel must be upheld and I am concerned that approval ofNAI's application could lead to a lowering of standards. DOT should review NAI's application most carefully to ensure that it is in compliance with all federal statutes and the U.S.-European Union Air Transport Agreement. And I respectfully request careful consideration , as well , of the long-term implications of any decision in this case.



### 510-140224-019 Sincerely ,

### ~lN\,,/, GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN Member of Congress

PRI NTED O N R ECYC L ED PA PE R

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PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER



### The Honorable Anthony Foxx Secretary U.S. Department ofTransportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20590 • I



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