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PORT OF OAKLAND 

DEBORAH ALE FLINT 

Director of Aviation 

Telephone: (510) 627-1133 

Fax: (510) 835-0178 

August 18, 2014 

Mr. Paul Gretch, Director 

Mr. Robert Finamore, Chief 

Office of International Aviation 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. 

Washington, DC 20590 

Docket: DOT-OST-2013-0204 

ANSWER OF THE PORT OF OAKLAND IN SUPPORT OF NORWEGIAN AIR 

INTERNATIONAL LIMITED FOR AN EXEMPTION UNDER 49 U.S.C. 40109 AND A 

FOREIGN AIR CARRIER PERMIT PURSUANT TO 49 U.S.C. 41301 

On behalf of the Port of Oakland and the Oakland International Airport ("OAK"), I appreciate 

the opportunity to submit this Answer in strong support of the Norwegian Air International 

Limited ("Norwegian") application for a foreign air carrier permit. This summer's 

commencement of Norwegian's international flight services between OAK and Norway and 

Sweden is already delivering tremendous positive economic, job creation and travel benefits to 

the greater San Francisco Bay Area region. The services that Norwegian proposes are in line 

with President Obama's January 2012 Executive Order on Travel and Tourism and are aligned 

with the National Travel and Tourism Strategy, and we therefore urge that the application of 

Norwegian be promptly granted by the Department of Transportation. 

The San Francisco Bay Area is the third-largest U.S. origin and destination market served by one 

large hub and two medium hub airports. OAK is the most centrally located airport in the region, 

being the closest airport to nearly 50 percent of the Bay Area population according to the 2010 

US Census. 

International visitors spend $20.1 billion annually in California. Norwegian's initial service at 

OAK is estimated to bring 72,000 international visitors to the Bay Area in the first year of 

530 Water Street • Jack London Square •- P.O. Box 2064 • Oakland, California 94604-2064 

Telephone: (510) 627-1100 • Facsimile: (510) 627-1826 • Web Page: www.portofoakland.com 
operation. According to California Travel and Tourism Commission statistics, these international 

visitors will contribute an estimated $127 million to the California economy. 

The international flight operations between OAK and Oslo, Norway and Stockholm, Sweden, 

respectively, are now over 90 days into service. Over 22,000 passengers have arrived and 

departed through OAK, .with these passengers representing 100 percent new air traffic for our 

airport. These flights have helped OAK to rebound to a one million passenger-a-month traffic 

level for the first time since August 2008. 

In addition to filling an under-served travel market, the operations being conducted by 

Norwegian at OAK are showing significant economic benefit and job creation results in the 

surrounding region. At OAK specifically, over 50 new jobs have been created to handle the new 

flights. Facilities at our airport that had been closed during the recession and consequential 

carrier reductions at OAK, have been re-opened to handle Norwegian's passenger and cargo 

operations. Cold-chain air cargo is now also available for the first time in several years, creating 

additional import/export freight opportunities for regional shippers. In addition, a new line 

maintenance station has opened at OAK to handle the 787 Dreamliner aircraft maintenance and 

significant growth in flight provisioning services and fuel delivery are being reported as a result 

of the new Norwegian service. Taken together, all of these developments are helping to restore 

the airports economic impact on the region and pave the way for other airlines to serve the Bay 

Area's travel and logistics needs. 

Norwegian is a valued partner of OAK and we have high hopes for the continued success and 

expansion of their activities in the region. We respectfully request that the Department grants 

Norwegian's application for authority to operate as they have proposed. 

Respectfully submitted, 

Deborah Ale Flint 

Director of Aviation