Served: January 5, 2010

 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY 

WASHINGTON, DC 

NOTICE

 

Japan Charter Authorizations 

(January 1 – December 31, 2010) 

 

Under the terms of the 2007 U.S.-Japan Record of Discussion (2007 ROD), U.S. carriers may 

operate an unlimited number of one-way charter flights (hereinafter we refer to “one-way 

charters” simply as “charters”) between the United States and Japan during the 2010 calendar 

year (January 1-December 31, 2010), subject to the limitation that no more than five hundred 

(500) of these charters may operate to or from Tokyo. As a result of the 2007 ROD, U.S. 

carriers only require a Notice of Consistency from the Department when operating charters to 

or from Tokyo.1

 

By Notice dated December 20, 2007, we established new procedures to allocate charters to 

U.S. carriers for charter operations in the U.S.-Tokyo market for the 2008 calendar year. 

Those procedures remained in place for the 2009 calendar year, and we have determined that 

the demand for U.S.-Tokyo charters for the 2010 calendar year can continue to be met using 

those same allocation procedures.2

 

Specifically, the 500 U.S.-Tokyo charters will be available to U.S. carriers for distribution on 

a first-come, first-served basis subject to the following procedures and conditions:3

 

1. Applications to operate U.S.-Tokyo charters may be filed no earlier than 120 days in 

advance of the flight date.4 For the period January 1 through October 31, 2010, 

carriers may apply for up to 50 charters per month. After October 31, 2010, no 

restrictions apply on the number of charters that may be applied for each month; 

 

1

 This does not relieve U.S. carriers from the requirement to obtain proper authorization for all U.S.-Japan 

charters from the Japan Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT).

2

 The number of charters available to U.S. air carriers was increased from 400 to 500 for the 2009 calendar year 

and beyond. 

3

 Should the new U.S.-Japan Open Skies Agreement, initialed on December 11, 2009, but not yet formally 

entered into force, raise a need to alter these procedures during the course of the charter year, we will so indicate 

by subsequent notice. 

4

 Applications should be sent by e-mail to robert.finamore@dot.gov, or by fax to 202-366-3694. 
2. Applications must identify the type of charter (passenger or cargo); the date of each 

one-way flight; the charterer(s); the city-pair markets involved by direction; the type 

of aircraft to be used; and (for cargo charters) the type of cargo transported. Carriers 

may be asked to provide copies of signed charter contracts; 

3. The Department will grant U.S.-Tokyo charter pool allocations by providing a Notice 

of Consistency to applicant carriers;5

4. Carriers receiving a charter pool allocation shall, in writing, return any unused 

allocations to the U.S. Air Carrier Licensing Division;6

By: 

 

Paul L. Gretch, Director 

Office of International Aviation 

(SEAL) 

Dated: January 5, 2010 

An electronic version of this document is available on the World Wide Web at: 

http://www.regulations.gov

 

5

 The carrier must also obtain proper authorization for its U.S.-Tokyo charters from the Japan MLIT. 6

 This notification must be received within two business days of the carrier’s determination that an allocated 

flight or flights will not operate.