THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION 

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20590 

The Honorable Sam Graves 

U.S. House of Representatives 

Washington, DC 205 15 

Dear Congressman Graves: 

April 04, 2014 

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 assure 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 is our standard practice, I am placing a copy of your letter and my response in Docket 

DOT-OST-2013-0204, as a contact outside the record ofthis case. You may track the progress 

ofthis 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. Foxx 
SAM GRAVES 

6TH DISTRICT, MISSOURI 

1415 LONGWORTH HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING 

WASHINGTON, DC 20515 

(202) 22!;-7041 

The Honorable Anthony Foxx 

Secretary 

Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

Secretary Foxx: 

(!Congress of tbe ~niteb ~tates 

j!}ouse of i\epresentatibes 

~nsbington, J3([ 20515-2506 

February 25, 2014 

11724 NW PLAZA CIRCLE, SUITE 900 

KANSAS CITY, MO 64153 

(816) 792-3976 

41 1 JULES STREET. ROOM 111 

ST. JOSEPH, MO 64501 

(816) 74!Hl800 

906 BROADWAY, P.O. Box 364 

HANNIBAL, MO 63401 

(573) 221-3400 

I am writing in regards to the application for an exemption and foreign air carrier permit by Norwegian Air 

International Limited (NAI). I respectfully request that NAI's application is carefully scrutinized to ensure its 

compliance with the United States- European Union Air Transport Agreement (US-EU Bilateral Agreement) and 

federal statutes. 

As you know, NAI is a subsidiary of Norwegian Air Shuttle (NAS), which currently operates flights across Europe. 

Despite NAS being a Norwegian-based air carrier, this new subsidiary is seeking a certificate to operate as an 

Irish air carrier. It is also my understanding that NAI plans to hire pilots and flight crews through a Singapore 

based company. 

The US-EU Bilateral Agreement prohibits the establishment of flags of convenience to evade labor protections. 

While NAI does not yet have an Irish air carrier certificate, it is my understanding that the subsidiary is being 

established in that nation to avoid Norwegian labor and social laws. 

The Department of Transportation (DOT) is authorized to exempt foreign air carriers from certain federal 

statutes, but only if the exemption is in the public interest. The arrangement being pursued by NAI has raised 

concerns within the U.S. airline industry. Specifically, both pilots unions and airline carriers are concerned that 

NAI will provide transatlantic flights under the Norwegian brand in direct competition with U.S. carriers; all while 

being certified in Ireland and using pilots and flight crews from Singapore. 

Commercial aviation is a critical segment of our economy and like many other industries, U.S. carriers simply 

want to have a level playing field when competing in the global marketplace. When the DOT begins reviewing 

NAI's application, it is my hope that the agency will ensure its compliance with the US-EU Bilateral Agreement 

and that an exemption for NAI is in the U.S. public interest. 

Thank you for your consideration of this important matter. Please contact Jack Ruddy of my staff at 202-225-

7041 or jack.ruddy@mail.house.gov should you have any questions or require additional information. 

Sam Graves 

Member of Congress 

s 10-140304-013 PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER 
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

WASHINGTON, DC 20515-2506 

PUBLIC DOCUM ENT 

OFFICIAL BUSINESS 

. 

-· c.ri:tl : .. . """ :_4, - .. - :· I 

- l ' ~ 

...::.. I c • - ' , . . . ;:: ; 

• c ...._;: 

<) • . r L' • 

l-t r t..n • cr, 1- ,- _, f 

r: I 

: i : .-' ; .. -

<. 

, ..... 

1/.e Ho~ An~ony ~X" 

De.p::i.rf'~eA+ of TrCAnsporf4Jia" 

f;).._oo Nw :rusey lwt.n(Jf, 5~ 

M .C. 

Wilshl~~. b<.... J..os-qo 

I iii iii iII jl iiI i l iiI i lj iii IiI iii d i llji iii iII i i jl i l iIi iIi Iii iiI i I