AFS-11-061-E 

Dec 20 2010 

 Exemption No. 10183 

 Regulatory Docket No. FAA-2006-26027 

Mr. Jim Colburn 

Director of Operations 

Frontier Airlines 

8909 Purdue Road, Suite 300 

Indianapolis, IN 46268 

Dear Mr. Colburn: 

This letter is to inform you that we have granted your petition to extend Exemption No. 8795, 

as amended. It explains the basis for our decision and gives you the conditions and 

limitations of the exemption, including the date it ends. 

The Basis for Our Decision 

By letter dated November 24, 2010, you petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration 

(FAA) on behalf of Frontier Airlines (Frontier) for an extension of Exemption No. 8795, as 

amended. That exemption from §§ 91.203(a) and (b) and 47.49 of Title 14, Code of Federal 

Regulations (14 CFR) allows Frontier temporary operation of U.S.-registered aircraft in 

domestic airline operations without the registration or airworthiness certificates on board. 

That exemption, however, expired on October 31, 2010; therefore, we will treat your request 

as a new petition. 

The FAA has determined that good cause exists for not publishing a summary of the petition 

in the Federal Register because the requested extension of the exemption would not set a 

precedent, and any delay in acting on this petition would be detrimental to Frontier. 

The FAA has issued a grant of exemption in circumstances similar in all material respects to 

those presented in your petition. In Grant of Exemption No. 6019 (copy enclosed), the FAA 

found that the loss of aircraft registration and/or airworthiness certificates presents a unique 

problem to those operators that utilize their aircraft in revenue service. 
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Currently, when an air carrier’s aircraft certificate of registration or airworthiness is missing 

or mutilated, it renders the aircraft unusable, sometimes resulting in substantial inconvenience 

to the public. 

Under circumstances in which the petitioner has petitioned for exemption from §§ 91.203(a) 

and (b) and 47.49, there would be no change in ownership nor the registration number of the 

aircraft nor would there be any change in the condition of the aircraft thereby preventing the 

aircraft from meeting the type certificate. The certificates for these aircraft have not been 

surrendered by the owner or operator nor have they been revoked or suspended by the FAA. 

Further, the maintenance status of the aircraft has remained current under the airline’s FAAapproved maintenance program, and the registration of the aircraft has been recorded on the 

airline’s FAA-approved operations specifications. 

Having reviewed your reasons for requesting an exemption, I find that— 

 they do not differ materially from those presented by the petitioner in the enclosed grant 

of exemption; 

 the reasons stated by the FAA for granting the enclosed exemption also apply to the 

situation you present; and 

 a grant of exemption is in the public interest. 

Our Decision 

The FAA has determined that the justification for the issuance of Exemption No. 8795, as 

amended, remains valid with respect to this exemption and is in the public interest. 

Therefore, under the authority provided by 49 U.S.C. 40113 and 44701, which the FAA 

Administrator has delegated to me, I grant your petition. 

Conditions and Limitations 

1. Frontier, before utilizing the exemption, must apply for and receive from the district 

office responsible for its air carrier certificate an amendment to its operations 

specifications authorizing it to exercise the privileges of this exemption.

2. Frontier, before utilizing the provisions of this exemption, must develop a 

comprehensive program that provides for continued operation of the aircraft through 

use of an appropriate entry in the aircraft logbook when the certificate of registration 

or airworthiness for such aircraft is lost, stolen, or mutilated; ensure that timely 

application is made to the FAA for a replacement certificate; and provide for the 

temporary operation of the aircraft during the interim required to receive a 

replacement certificate from the FAA and install it on the affected aircraft. This 

program must be FAA approved and instructions for its use shall be included in the air 

carrier’s manual required by 14 CFR §121.133. 

3. The comprehensive program specified in paragraph 2 must contain: 
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a. A requirement that the following statement be entered into the appropriate 

section of the aircraft logbook whenever this exemption is to be utilized: 

“This aircraft is being operated without a certificate of registration (or 

airworthiness, as applicable) under the provisions of Exemption No. _____ 

for a period of 3 days beginning: 

 Time__________ Date_______ 20___.” 

The signature, title, and station location of the person(s) authorized by 

paragraph (b) shall be affixed to this statement. 

b. An identification of the designated person or persons within the air carrier’s 

maintenance organization authorized to enter the statement outlined in 

paragraph 3(a) and the method or methods wherein the documents required 

under paragraph 5 will be transmitted to the affected aircraft. 

c. An arrangement whereby those persons within the Frontier organization 

responsible for certificates of registration and airworthiness will maintain a 

current record of the data from the certificates of each aircraft within its fleet 

which may be effected by the exemption. The data must be made readily 

available to the elements within Frontier’s maintenance organization identified 

in paragraph 3(b) and must be kept current at all times. 

d. Procedures to ensure that the FAA principal maintenance inspector with 

responsibility for Frontier is immediately notified of a missing or mutilated 

certificate and that timely application is made to the FAA for a replacement 

certificate (in the case of an airworthiness certificate) or a duplicate certificate 

(in the case of registration certificate). 

e. Procedures which will describe specific duties and responsibilities by job title. 

4. The privileges of this exemption may only be exercised by Frontier for temporary 

replacement of a missing and mutilated certificate which is current and in effect and 

only applies to U.S.-registered aircraft listed in Frontier’s FAA-approved operations 

specifications. Where Frontier is not the registered owner authorizing the use of the 

program allowed by this exemption, Frontier must file a copy of the written consent 

document with the FAA certificate-holding district office and must maintain a copy of 

the consent document in its own files. 

5. A copy of this exemption and a copy of the operations specifications authorizing its 

use must be carried on board the aircraft when exercising the privileges of this 

exemption. 
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6. The privileges of this exemption may only be exercised when the affected aircraft is 

operating totally within the contiguous 48 states of the United States and the District 

of Columbia. 

The exemption terminates on December 31, 2013 unless sooner superseded or rescinded. 

Sincerely, 

Raymond Towles 

Acting Director, Flight Standards 

 Service