### UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY WASHINGTON, D.C.

Issued by the Department of Transportation on December 6 , 201 3



### NOTICE OF ACTION TAKEN

-- DOCKET DOT

- OST

- 20 1 3

- 0 205

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

co nfirming order will be issued in this matter).

Applicant: VOLGA

- DNEPR AIRLINE S LLC (Volga

- Dnepr) Date Filed: December 2 , 201 3

Relief requested: Exemption under 49 USC § 40109(g) to permit the applicant to operate one , one

- way , al l

- cargo charter flight

, using its AN

- 124

- 100 aircraft, carrying outsized cargo on behalf of United Launch Alliance (ULA )

, from Huntsville

, Alabama

, to Vandenberg AFB

, Lompoc, California , on or about December 9

- 1 0 , 201 3 . The applicant states that the flight would carry an Atlas

Booster tank

. The applicant asserts that ULA needs the subject lift to avoid substantial delay in Lockheed Martin’s mission integration and launch schedules ; that the cargo is too large for transportation on commercially availa ble U.S.

- carrier aircraft; and

that surface transportation is not feasible because of the extremely delicate nature and high value of the cargo.

Applicant representative: Artem Tarasenko , 832

- 585

- 8611 D OT analyst: David R. Christofano , 202

- 366

- 0584

Responsive pleadings: Volga

- Dnepr served its application on those U.S. carriers operating large all

- cargo aircraft. Each carrier indicated that it did not have aircraft available to conduct the proposed operation and that it h ad no comment or did not oppose grant of the requested authority.

Statutory Standards: Under 49 USC § 40109(g), we may authorize a foreign air carrier to carry commercial traffic between U.S

. points ( i.e ., cabotage traffic) under limited circumstances. Specifically, we must find that the authority is required in the public interest; that because of an emergency created by unusual circumstances not arising in the normal course of business the traf fic cannot be accommodated by U.S. carriers holding certi ficates under 49 USC § 41102; that all possible efforts have been made to place the traffic on U.S. carriers; and that the transportation is necessary to avoid unreasonable hardship to the traffic in volved (an additional required finding, concerning emerge ncy transportation during labor disputes, was not relevant here).

DISPOSITION

Action: Approved. Action date: December 6 , 2013

Eff ective dates of authority granted: December 9

- 1 0 , 201 3

.

Basis for approval: We are granting Volga

- Dnepr’s request to operate the proposed one

- way flight (described above), on behalf of

ULA . We found that its request met all the relevant criteria of 49 USC § 40109(g) for the grant of an exemption of this type, a nd that the grant was required in the public interest. Specifically, we were persuaded that the need to move the cargo to avoid

su bstantial delay in Lockheed Martin’s mission integration and launch schedules ; the fact that the cargo could not be transported by surface transportation because of its delicate nature and high value; and the unique, outsized nature of the cargo, constitut ed an emergency not arising in the normal course of business. Moreover, based on the representations of the U.S. carriers, we concluded that no U.S. carrier had aircraft available that could be used to conduct the operation at issue here. We also found t hat grant of this authority would prevent unreasonable hardship to ULA and Lockheed Martin

. Finally, we found that the applicant was qualified to perform its proposed operation.

Except to the extent exempted/waived, this authority is subject to our stand a rd exemption conditions (attached) and to the condition that the applicant must comply with an FAA

- approved flight routing for the authorized operation. We may amend, modify, or revoke the authority granted in this Notice at any time without hearing at o ur discretion.

Action taken by: Susan L. Kurland Assistant Secretary for Aviation

and International Affairs

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 currentl y 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

Administrat ion, 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 c oncerning 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) (fo rmerly referred to as International Principal Security Inspector ) to advise the I IR 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 Ad ministration’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 requ irements 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 De partment 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 cogniza ble 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 Contrac ting 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 l aws 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 approva l

under Title 49 of the U.S. Code.

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