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BEFORE THE

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Application of

ANTONOV AIRLINES

for an emergency exemption pursuant to

49 U.S.C. § 40109(g)

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Docket DOT-OST-2013-_______

APPLICATION OF ANTONOV AIRLINES

FOR AN EMERGENCY EXEMPTION

Communications with respect to this document should be sent to:

Sheryl R. Israel

HOGAN LOVELLS US LLP

Columbia Square

555 Thirteenth Street, NW

Washington, DC 20004

+1 202 637 8898

sheryl.israel@hoganlovells.com

Counsel for

ANTONOV COMPANY

t/a ANTONOV AIRLINES

August 22, 2013

NOTICE: THIS APPLICATION IS BEING FILED PURSUANT TO THE EMERGENCY

EXEMPTION PROCEDURES OF 14 C.F.R. § 302.311, WHICH AUTHORIZE

THE DEPARTMENT TO ACT ON EMERGENCY EXEMPTION REQUESTS

IMMEDIATELY. ANY PERSON INTERESTED IN FILING AN ANSWER IS

REQUESTED TO DO SO IN THE ABOVE DOCKET IMMEDIATELY.

COPIES OF THE SUBMISSION SHOULD BE SERVED ON THE PERSONS

LISTED ABOVE AND ON THE ATTACHED SERVICE LIST.
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BEFORE THE

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Application of

ANTONOV AIRLINES

for an emergency exemption pursuant to

49 U.S.C. § 40109(g)

)

)

)

)

)

)

Docket DOT-OST-2013-_______

August 22, 2013

APPLICATION OF ANTONOV AIRLINES

FOR AN EMERGENCY EXEMPTION

Antonov Company t/a Antonov Airlines (“Antonov”) hereby applies for an

emergency exemption pursuant to 49 U.S.C. §§ 40109(g) and 41703(c), to permit

Antonov to operate a single one-way all-cargo charter flight transporting one outsized

Boeing 747 fuselage panel, plus ancillary equipment, from Fort Worth, Texas to Everett,

Washington, August 25-27, 2013, using an AN-124-100 aircraft. Antonov respectfully

requests expedited consideration and immediate approval of this application to address

a pressing commercial requirement of The Boeing Company (“Boeing”).

In support of this application, Antonov states the following:

1. Antonov is a foreign air carrier that holds exemption authority to conduct

charter all-cargo foreign air transportation between Ukraine and the United States, and

between the United States and third countries pursuant to 14 C.F.R. Part 212. See

Notice of Action Taken dated October 12, 2005 (Docket DOT-OST-1996-1454).

2. Boeing Commercial Aircraft has chartered Antonov to conduct a charter

flight transporting an outsized Boeing 747 fuselage panel from Fort Worth to Everett to

meet production line deadlines. The panel, when secured in a shipping frame,

measures approximately 684” x 220” x 135” and weighs approximately 19,000 lbs.

Cargo of this size cannot be accommodated by any freighter aircraft operated by U.S.
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carriers. As a result, the panel needs to be transported using Antonov’s AN-124-100

aircraft.

3. Boeing has requested that Antonov conduct the flight carrying the

fuselage panel from Fort Worth to Everett on or about August 25, 2013.1 Air

transportation of this panel from Fort Worth, near the facility where the panel is

produced, to the Boeing production facility in Everett is required to maintain the

Boeing 747 production line. Failure to deliver the panel on time would delay the

production and subsequent delivery of 747 aircraft, which would impose severe financial

penalties on Boeing and its customers. Accordingly, transportation of the panel by

AN-124-100 is necessary to minimize shipping time and ensure that Boeing 747

production line activities and aircraft deliveries will not be unduly delayed.

4. This application meets all of the relevant criteria for the grant of an

exemption under 49 U.S.C. § 40109(g):

a. Grant of this application is in the public interest. Transportation of

the fuselage panel by air will allow a major American airplane manufacturer to maintain

production line activities as efficiently as possible and meet airplane delivery

commitments to its customers. Surface transportation of the panel is not an economical

or desirable option given the distance between Fort Worth and Everett, coupled with the

complications and permitting requirements associated with the truck movement of such

a large unit. Boeing must take every possible step to avoid production line delays and

meet its delivery commitments. Accordingly, it is critical that Antonov be authorized to

use an AN-124-100 aircraft to address Boeing’s requirements and deliver the panel to

Everett without delay.

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Antonov requests that the exemption remain effective through August 27, 2013 to

account for unforeseen production or flight delays.
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b. Approval of the requested exemption authority is necessary to

enable Antonov to respond to an emergency created by unusual circumstances. Boeing

needs to transport a large fuselage panel from Fort Worth to Everett to avoid Boeing 747

production line delays. The sheer size of the fuselage panel, coupled with the distance

between Texas and Washington, forecloses the possibility of transporting this unit on a

reasonably timely basis using surface transportation. In order to avoid unnecessary and

costly delays, the panel needs to be shipped by air, and because no civil aircraft

operated by U.S. carriers are capable of carrying such outsized cargo,2the only way to

resolve this emergency is for the panel to be transported using an AN-124-100 aircraft.

c. Thus, grant of this exemption application is necessary to avoid

unreasonable hardship for the traffic at issue. Simply put, unless the application is

granted, the transportation of the fuselage panel from Fort Worth to Everett will be

unnecessarily delayed, adversely impacting the panel manufacturer, Boeing and its

Boeing 747 customers.

5. Antonov's fitness and ability to carry out the proposed transportation has

been amply demonstrated through its conduct of numerous outsized cargo charter

operations over the past several years. By DOT Order 91-10-11, Antonov was first

issued exemption authority jointly with Air Foyle Ltd., and has operated numerous

outsized cargo charters to and from the United States since 1991. As noted above,

Antonov holds independent exemption authority last renewed by Notice of Action Taken

dated October 12, 2005.

2 Counsel for Antonov will contact the U.S. operators of large all-cargo aircraft set forth in

the service list attached to this application to verify that each carrier cannot accommodate

the cargo and does not oppose the grant of this application, and will promptly notify the

Department of the polling results.
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6. Grant of this application is consistent with Department precedent. The

Department has previously granted emergency exemption authority to permit Antonov to

conduct commercial flights between U.S. points on numerous occasions where

AN-124-100 aircraft were similarly needed to deliver outsized cargo, including Boeing

airplane and engine products, on an emergency basis. In these instances, the

Department has consistently found that approval of such requests is in the public

interest. See, e.g., Notice of Action Taken dated October 11, 2002 (Docket DOT-OST2002-13572); Notice of Action Taken dated August 28, 2002 (Docket DOT-OST-2002-

13252); DOT Order 98-3-9; Notice of Action Taken dated December 24, 1997 (Docket

DOT-OST-1997-3284). See also Notices of Action Taken dated March 12, 2013 (Docket

DOT-OST-2013-0047) and May 31, 2013 (Docket DOT-OST-2013-0111) (granting

Antonov exemptions for the transportation of Boeing 747 fuselage panels from Fort

Worth to Everett under similar circumstances).

7. Section 302.311 of the Department's Procedural Regulations provides

that the Department can act on an emergency exemption application immediately. In

light of the exigent circumstances, Antonov respectfully requests expeditious processing

and the immediate grant of this emergency exemption application in order to provide

assurances to Boeing that Antonov will be permitted to transport this Boeing 747

fuselage panel on the required date.
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WHEREFORE, for the foregoing reasons, Antonov respectfully requests that the

Department issue an emergency exemption permitting Antonov to operate a single oneway all-cargo charter flight transporting one outsized Boeing 747 fuselage panel, plus

ancillary equipment, from Fort Worth, Texas to Everett, Washington, August 25-27,

2013, using an AN-124-100 aircraft, as described herein, and grant such other and

further relief as the Department deems to be consistent with the public interest.

Respectfully submitted,

_______________________________

Sheryl R. Israel

HOGAN LOVELLS US LLP

Columbia Square

555 Thirteenth Street, NW

Washington, DC 20004

+1 202 637 8898

sheryl.israel@hoganlovells.com

Counsel for

ANTONOV COMPANY

t/a ANTONOV AIRLINES
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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I hereby certify that a copy of the foregoing Application of Antonov Airlines for an

Emergency Exemption has been served this 22nd day of August, 2013, upon each of the

following addressees:

rsilverberg@sgbdc.com; jrichardson@johnlrichardson.com; JCanny@amerijet.com;

rpommer@atlasair.com; john@mietuslaw.com; sascha.vanderbellen@delta.com;

sametta.c.barnett@delta.com; ranjit.seth@evergreenairlines.com;

charters@evergreenaviation.com; sllunsford@fedex.com; sharon.pasley@fedex.com;

marshall.sinick@squiresanders.com; matwood@cozen.com; lstauffer@wallaceair.com;

nwallace@wallaceair.com; rzerkel@lac.lynden.com; gwhite@lynden.com;

jdavis@lac.lynden.com; enisson@nac.aero; kevin.montgomery@polaraircargo.com;

agoerlich@ggh-airlaw.com; dan.weiss@united.com; steve.morrissey@united.com;

mlbenge@zsrlaw.com; pdoell@naca.cc; William.S.Schweizer@faa.gov;

herb.herzog@faa.gov; patrick.crowley@faa.gov

Jonathan Echmalian