BEFORE THE

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

WASHINGTON, D.C.

________________________________________________

)

Application of )

)

AEROVIAS DEL CONTINENTE )

 AMERICANO S.A. (AVIANCA) ) Docket No. OST-2012-0137

) 

for an exemption pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 40109 )

(U.S. – Colombia Open Skies) )

________________________________________________)

APPLICATION OF

AEROVIAS DEL CONTINENTE AMERICANO S.A. (AVIANCA)

FOR AN AMENDED EXEMPTION 

Communications with respect to this document should be sent to:

Richard D. Mathias

David M. Endersbee

 Zuckert, Scoutt & Rasenberger L.L.P.

888 Seventeenth Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20006

Tel: (202) 973-7917

Fax: (202) 342-0683

rdmathias@zsrlaw.com

 dmendersbee@zsrlaw.com

Counsel for

Aerovias del Continente 

 Americano S.A. (Avianca) 

January 3, 2013

NOTICE: Answers to this application are due by January 18, 2013, and must be served on 

the Applicant and all persons set forth on the attached certificate of service. 

However, the Applicant intends to poll.
BEFORE THE

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

WASHINGTON, D.C.

________________________________________________

)

Application of )

)

AEROVIAS DEL CONTINENTE )

 AMERICANO S.A. (AVIANCA) ) Docket No. OST-2012-0137

) 

for an exemption pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 40109 )

(U.S. – Colombia Open Skies) )

________________________________________________)

APPLICATION OF

AEROVIAS DEL CONTINENTE AMERICANO S.A. (AVIANCA)

FOR AN AMENDED EXEMPTION 

Aerovias del Continente Americano S.A. (Avianca), pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 40109 and 

Subpart C of the Department’s Rules of Practice, hereby applies for an amended exemption from 

49 U.S.C. § 41301 to the extent necessary to authorize Avianca to engage in foreign scheduled 

and charter air transportation of persons, property and mail from points behind Colombia via 

Colombia and intermediate points to points in the United States and beyond, as more fully 

described herein. 

In support of this application, Avianca states as follows:

1. In 2011, the U.S. and Colombia signed an historic open skies Air Transport 

Agreement (the “Agreement”),1

 1 Air Transport Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the 

Republic of Colombia (signed May 10, 2011).

which is being provisionally applied as of August 26, 2011. 
Application of Avianca for 

an Amended Exemption

Page 2 of 4

2. Avianca presently holds a foreign air carrier permit authorizing it to engage, inter 

alia, in foreign air transportation of persons, property, and mail between a point or points in 

Colombia, certain intermediate points, and (1) the co-terminal points Miami and New York, and 

(2) Los Angeles. Order 86-9-36. Avianca also holds exemption authorities under which it has 

been proving services to travelers and shippers in the U.S. and throughout Latin America, 

including expanded exemption authority as it has become available pursuant to the transitional 

provisions of the Agreement. See Notice of Action Taken (March 19, 2012), Docket OST-2011-

0211 (additional U.S. points); Notice of Action Taken (August 30, 2012), Docket OST-2012-

0137 (open skies marketing rights). 

3. The transitional provisions of the Agreement expired on December 31, 2012. See

Annex, Section 4. As such, in order to take advantage of the full open skies rights available to it, 

Avianca requests this exemption authority to allow it to engage in the full scope of services 

available to Colombian carriers under the Agreement. More specifically, Avianca requests that 

the Department grant it exemption authority to provide scheduled and charter foreign air 

transportation of persons, property, and mail from points behind Colombia, via Colombia and 

intermediate points to points in the United States and beyond, and to perform charters pursuant to 

Part 212 of the Department’s regulations. 

4. Avianca holds all of the necessary operating authorizations from its homeland in 

support of this request and remains fit, willing, and able to exercise the rights now available to it 
Application of Avianca for 

an Amended Exemption

Page 3 of 4

under the Agreement. Colombia is a contracting state to the Convention on International Civil 

Aviation.

5. This requested authority is both provided for in the Agreement and is an 

important aspect of the Avianca/TACA Group common code and branding services which the 

Department recently approved. See Notice of Action Taken (December 13, 2012), Docket OST2012-0136. Avianca is the only carrier in the group of carriers participating in this common 

code and branding arrangement which does not yet hold full open skies authority. Grant of this 

authority will, therefore, serve to make possible the full spectrum of services that will be possible 

under this arrangement, and will maximize the air transportation options available to the 

traveling public. It will also provide Avianca with the maximum possible flexibility to respond 

to market conditions and to the needs of travelers and shippers in with a minimum of regulatory 

delay. 

6. Grant of the authority sought by Avianca will not constitute a major regulatory 

action under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975, as defined in Part 313 of the 

Department’s Regulations.

WHEREFORE, for the foregoing reasons, Aerovias del Continente Americano S.A. 

(Avianca) respectfully requests that the Department grant the requested amended exemption 

authority as described more fully herein. Avianca also requests such further, different and 

additional relief as the Department may deem to be appropriate.
Application of Avianca for 

an Amended Exemption

Page 4 of 4

Respectfully submitted,

________________________

Richard D. Mathias

David M. Endersbee

 Zuckert, Scoutt & Rasenberger L.L.P.

888 Seventeenth Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20006

Tel: (202) 973-7917

Fax: (202) 342-0683

rdmathias@zsrlaw.com

 dmendersbee@zsrlaw.com

Counsel for

Aerovias del Continente 

 Americano S.A. (Avianca)

January 3, 2013
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I hereby certify that on this 3rd day of January 2013, a copy of the foregoing Application of Aerovias del 

Continente Americano S.A. (Avianca) was served by email on the parties named below:

Lorraine B. Halloway

Gerald F. Murphy

Counsel for Continental/United Airlines

Crowell & Moring LLP

1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20004-2595

lhalloway@crowell.com

gmurphy@crowell.com

Dan Weiss

Managing Director – International &

 Regulatory Affairs

United Air Lines

77 West Wacker Drive-HDQIZ

Chicago, IL 60601

dan.weiss@united.com

Stephen J. Morrissey

Managing Director, Regulatory and

 Policy

United Air Lines, Inc.

1225 New York Avenue, NW - DCAIZ

Suite 1100

Washington, DC 20005

steve.morrissey@united.com

Jonathan T. Linde

Managing Director & Senior Counsel-

 Regulatory

United Air Lines, Inc.

77 West Wacker Drive-HDQLD

16th Floor

Chicago, IL 60601

jonathan.linde@united.com

Anita Mosner

Jennifer Nowak

Counsel for United Parcel Service

Holland & Knight

800 17th Street, N.W.

Suite 1100

Washington, D.C. 20006

anita.mosner@hklaw.com

jennifer.nowak@hklaw.com

Alexander Van Der Bellen

Sametta C. Barnett

Delta Air Lines

1212 New York Avenue, NW

Suite 200

Washington, D.C. 20005

sascha.vanderbellen@delta.com

Sametta.c.barnett@delta.com

Robert Wirick

American Airlines, Inc.

1101 Seventeenth Street, N.W.

Suite 600

Washington, D.C. 20036

robert.wirick@aa.com

John L. Richardson

Joan Canny

Counsel for Amerijet International

John L. Richardson, P.L.L.C.

555 13th Street, N.W.

Suite 420 West

Washington, D.C. 20004

jrichardson@johnlrichardson.com

jCanny@amerijet.com

Kelli Bryan

Ranjit Seth

Robert Foster

Charter Sales

Evergreen International Airlines, Inc.

3850 Three Mile Lane

McMinnville, OR 97128

charters@evergreenairlines.com

ranjit.seth@evergreenairlines.com

chris.schuldt@evergreenhelicopters.com 

philip.Church@evergreenhelicopters.com

Robert.foster@evergreenairlines.com

Malcolm L. Benge

Counsel for World Airways 

Zuckert, Scoutt & Rasenberger LLP

888 17th Street, N,W.

Suite 700

Washington, DC 20006

mlbenge@zsrlaw.com
2

Angeline Garbuzinski

Legal and Regulatory Affairs

Federal Express Corporation

3620 Hacks Cross Road

Building B, 3rd Floor

Memphis, TN 38125

anbird@fedex.com

cefelts@fedex.com

Pierre Murphy

Counsel for Brendan Airways, L.L.C. 

d/b/a USA 3000 Airlines 

1200 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W.

Suite 590

Washington, D.C. 20036-6802

pmurphy@lopmurphy.com

Timothy Erickson

Safety and Regulatory Affairs

Air Transport International LLC

2800 Cantrell Road

Little Rock, AR 72202

timothy.erickson@airtransport.cc

Howard Kass

Managing Director & Associate General

 Counsel

US Airways

1401 H Street, N.W.

Suite 1075

Washington, D.C. 20006

Howard.kass@usairways.com

John M. Allen

Director

Flight Standards Service

Federal Aviation Administration

800 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Room 821

Washington, D.C. 20591

john.allen@faa.gov 

Aaron Goerlich

Counsel for Allegiant Air, Ryan 

 International Airlines and Southern Air

Garofalo Goerlich Hainbach PC

1200 New Hampshire Avenue NW

Suite 800

Washington, D.C. 20036-6802

agoerlich@ggh-airlaw.com

Robert P. Silverberg

Jeffrey Johnson

Counsel for ABX Air

Silverberg, Goldman & Bikoff, L.L.P.

1101 30th Street, N.W.

Suite 120

Washington, D.C. 20007

rsilverberg@sgbdc.com

jjohnson@sgbdc.com

Marshall S. Sinick

Counsel for Alaska Airlines and Florida 

 West International Airways

Squire, Sanders & Dempsey

1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Suite 500

Washington, D.C. 20004

msinick@ssd.com

Russell E. Pommer

Associate General Counsel and

 Director of Regulatory Affairs

Atlas Air, Inc.

1747 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Suite 875

Washington, D.C 20006

rpommer@atlasair.com

Mark W. Atwood

Counsel for Kalitta Air and Xtra Airways

Cozen O’Connor

Army Navy Building

1627 I Street, NW

Suite 1100

Washington, D.C. 20006

matwood@cozen.com

ldunn@xtraairways.com

Jonathan B. Hill

Counsel for Hawaiian Airlines and JetBlue

Dow Lohnes 

1200 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W.

Suite 800

Washington, DC 20036-6802

jhill@dowlohnes.com

John S. Fredericksen

Vice President and General Counsel

MN Airlines, LLC dba Sun Country

 Airlines

1300 Mendota Heights Road

Mendota Heights, MN 55120

john.fredericksen@suncountry.com
3

Joanne W. Young

Counsel for Spirit Airlines

Kirstein & Young PLLC

1001 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.

Suite 600 South

Washington, DC 20004

jyoung@yklaw.com 

John R. Mietus, Jr.

Counsel for Centurion Air Cargo and Trade 

 Winds Airlines

Law Office of John Mietus, LLC

6701 Democracy Boulevard

Suite 300

Bethesda, MD 20817

john@mietuslaw.com

Kevin Montgomery

Peter Beckett

Polar Air Cargo, Inc.

1747 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Suite 875

Washington, D.C 20006

kevin.montgomery@ polaraircargo.com

peter.beckett@polaraircargo.com

Michael F. Goldman

Counsel for Capital Cargo International 

 Airlines

Silverberg, Goldman & Bikoff, L.L.P.

1101 30th Street, N.W.

Suite 120

Washington, D.C. 20007

mgoldman@sgbdc.com

_________________________

David M. Endersbee