UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Issued by the Department of Transportation on February 28, 2013

NOTICE OF ACTION TAKEN – DOCKET DOT-OST-2013-0028 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This serves as notice to the public of the action described below, taken by the Department official indicated (no additional 

confirming order will be issued in this matter).

Joint Applicants: AEROVIAS DE MEXICO, S.A. de C.V. (Aeromexico) and AEROLITORAL, S.A. de C.V. d/b/a 

AEROMEXICO CONNECT (Aerolitoral) 

Date Filed: February 7, 2013

Relief requested: 

A) Exemption from 49 USC §40109 for one year to the extent necessary to permit Aerolitoral to engage in scheduled 

foreign air transportation of persons, property, and mail in the following markets:

La Paz, Mexico – Los Angeles, California

Mexico City, Mexico – Laredo, Texas

Monterrey, Mexico – Houston, Texas

Monterrey, Mexico – Miami, Florida

Monterrey, Mexico – San Antonio, Texas

Puerto Peñasco, Mexico – Las Vegas, Nevada

Puerto Peñasco, Mexico – Los Angeles, California

B) Exemption from 49 USC §40109 for one year to the extent necessary to permit Aeromexico to engage in scheduled 

foreign air transportation of persons, property, and mail in the following markets, on a code-share basis with Aerolitoral, 

on flights operated by Aerolitoral:

1

La Paz, Mexico – Los Angeles, California

Mexico City, Mexico – Laredo, Texas

Monterrey, Mexico – Houston, Texas

Puerto Peñasco, Mexico – Las Vegas, Nevada

Puerto Peñasco, Mexico – Los Angeles, California

C) Statement of authorization under 14 CFR part 212 for an indefinite period to enable Aerolitoral to display 

Aeromexico’s “AM” designator code on flights operated by Aerolitoral on the routes listed in paragraph (A) above.

D) Waiver of the 45-day advance filing requirement for the codeshare statement of authorization under 14 C.F.R. Part 

212.

Applicant representative: John. R. Mietus, Jr., 202-747-5212 DOT analyst: Darren Jaffe, 202-366-2512

Responsive pleadings: None.

DISPOSITION

Action: Approved. Action date: February 28, 2013

 1 We note that Aeromexico already holds exemption authority in the Monterrey-Miami and Monterrey-San Antonio markets. See

Dockets OST-2012-0090 (Monterrey-Miami) and DOT-OST-2009-0159 (Monterrey-San Antonio).
Effective dates of authority granted: The exemption authority granted to Aeromexico and Aerolitoral is effective 

February 28, 2013, through February 28, 2014. The statement of authorization granted to Aerolitoral is effective February 

28, 2013, and shall remain in effect for an indefinite period. The waiver granted to Aerolitoral is effective February 28, 

2013.

Basis for approval (bilateral agreement/reciprocity): United States-Mexico Air Transport Services Agreement.

Except to the extent exempted/waived, this authority is subject to the terms, conditions, and limitations of our standard 

exemption and code-share conditions (attached), and to the otherwise-applicable terms, conditions, and limitations of 

Aeromexico’s foreign air carrier permit (Order 91-5-25).

Special conditions/Remarks: The exemption authority granted to Aeromexico is limited to operations conducted only on 

a code-share basis with Aerolitoral, on flights operated by Aerolitoral. 

Action taken by: Paul L. Gretch, Director, Office of International Aviation

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Under authority assigned by the Department in its regulations, 14 CFR Part 385, we found that (1) our action was consistent with 

Department policy; (2) the applicants were qualified to perform their proposed operations; (3) grant of the authority was consistent 

with the public interest; and (4) grant of the authority would not constitute a major regulatory action under the Energy Policy and 

Conservation Act of 1975. To the extent not granted/deferred/dismissed, we denied all requests in the referenced Docket. We may 

amend, modify, or revoke the authority granted in this Notice at any time without hearing at our discretion.

Persons entitled to petition the Department for review of the action set forth in this Notice under the Department’s regulations, 14 CFR 

§385.30, may file their petitions within seven (7) days after the date of issuance of this Notice. This action was effective when taken, 

and the filing of a petition for review will not alter such effectiveness.

An electronic version of this document is available on the World Wide Web at:

http://www.regulations.gov
Foreign Carrier Exemption Conditions

In the conduct of the operations authorized, the foreign carrier applicant(s) shall:

(1) Not conduct any operations unless it holds a currently effective authorization from its homeland for such operations, 

and it has filed a copy of such authorization with the Department;

(2) Comply with all applicable requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration, the Transportation Security 

Administration, and with all applicable U.S. Government requirements concerning security, including, but not limited to, 

14 CFR Parts 129, 91, and 36 and 49 CFR Part 1546 or 1550, as applicable. To assure compliance with all applicable 

U.S. Government requirements concerning security, the holder shall, before commencing any new service (including 

charter flights) from a foreign airport that would be the holder’s last point of departure for the United States, contact its

International Industry Representative (IIR) (formerly referred to as International Principal Security Inspector) to advise 

the IIR of its plans and to find out whether the Transportation Security Administration has determined that security is 

adequate to allow such airport(s) to be served;

(3) Comply with the requirements for minimum insurance coverage contained in 14 CFR Part 205, and, prior to the 

commencement of any operations under this authority, file evidence of such coverage, in the form of a completed OST 

Form 6411, with the Federal Aviation Administration’s Program Management Branch (AFS-260), Flight Standards 

Service (any changes to, or termination of, insurance also shall be filed with that office);

(4) Not operate aircraft under this authority unless it complies with operational safety requirements at least equivalent to

Annex 6 of the Chicago Convention;

(5) Conform to the airworthiness and airman competency requirements of its Government for international air services;

(6) Except as specifically exempted or otherwise provided for in a Department Order, comply with the requirements of 14 

CFR Part 203, concerning waiver of Warsaw Convention liability limits and defenses;

(7) Agree that operations under this authority constitute a waiver of sovereign immunity, for the purposes of 28 U.S.C. 

1605(a), but only with respect to those actions or proceedings instituted against it in any court or other tribunal in the 

United States that are: (a) based on its operations in international air transportation that, according to the contract of 

carriage, include a point in the United States as a point of origin, point of destination, or agreed stopping place, or for 

which the contract of carriage was purchased in the United States; or (b) based on a claim under any international 

agreement or treaty cognizable in any court or other tribunal of the United States. In this condition, the term 

"international air transportation" means "international transportation" as defined by the Warsaw Convention, except that 

all States shall be considered to be High Contracting Parties for the purpose of this definition;

(8) Except as specifically authorized by the Department, originate or terminate all flights to/from the United States in its 

homeland;

(9) Comply with the requirements of 14 CFR Part 217, concerning the reporting of scheduled, nonscheduled, and charter 

data;

(10) If charter operations are authorized, except as otherwise provided in the applicable aviation agreement, comply with 

the Department's rules governing charters (including 14 CFR Parts 212 and 380); and

(11) Comply with such other reasonable terms, conditions, and limitations required by the public interest as may be 

prescribed by the Department, with all applicable orders or regulations of other U.S. agencies and courts, and with all 

applicable laws of the United States.

This authority shall not be effective during any period when the holder is not in compliance with the conditions imposed 

above. Moreover, this authority cannot be sold or otherwise transferred without explicit Department approval under Title 

49 of the U.S. Code.

12/2007
The Statement of Authorization granted is subject to the following conditions:

(a) The statement of authorization will remain in effect only as long as Aeromexico and Aerolitoral continue to 

hold the underlying authority to operate the code-share services at issue, and the code-share agreement 

providing for the code-share operations remains in effect.

(b) Aeromexico and/or Aerolitoral must promptly notify the Department if the codeshare agreement is no longer 

effective or if the carriers decide to cease operating all or a portion of the approved codeshare services.2 (Such 

notice should be filed in Docket DOT-OST-2013-0028.)

(c) The code-sharing operations conducted under this authority must comply with 14 CFR 257 and with any 

amendments to the Department’s regulations concerning code-share arrangements that may be adopted. 

Notwithstanding any provisions in the contract between the carriers, our approval here is expressly conditioned 

upon the requirements that the subject foreign air transportation be sold in the name of the carrier holding out 

such service in the computer reservation systems and elsewhere; that the carrier selling such transportation (i.e.,

the carrier shown on the ticket) accept responsibility for the entirety of the code-share journey for all obligations 

established in its contract of carriage with the passenger; and that the passenger liability of the operating carrier 

be unaffected.

(d) The authority granted here is specifically conditioned so that neither Aeromexico nor Aerolitoral shall give 

any force or effect to any contractual provisions between themselves that are contrary to these conditions. 

(e) We may amend, modify, or revoke the authority granted at any time without hearing at our discretion.

 2 We expect this notification to be received within 10 days of such non-effectiveness or of such decision.