THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION 

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20590 

The Honorable Tulsi Gabbard 

U.S. House of Representatives 

Washington, DC 20515 

Dear Congresswoman Gabbard: 

April 03, 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 ofNAl'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 of this case. You may track the progress 

of this 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 inforn1ation is helpful. 

Sincerely, 

Anthony R. Foxx 
TULSI GABBARD 

2ND D ISTRICT, H AWAII 

COMMITIEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY 

SuBCOMMITIEE ON BORDER AND MARITIME 

SECURITY 

COMMITIEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

SUBCOMMITIEE ON ASIA AND THE PACIFIC 

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The Honorable Anthony R. Foxx 

Secretary 

U.S. Department ofTransportation 

1200 New Jersey Ave SE 

Washington, DC 20590-0001 

Dear Secretary Foxx, 

February 7, 2014 

300 ALA MOANA BOULEVARD, ROOM 5-104 

HONOLULU, HI 96850 

(808) 541- 1986 

502 CANNON HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING 

WASHINGTON, DC 20515 

(20 2) 225-4906 

http://www.gabbard.housc.gov 

I am writing regarding an application by Norwegian Air International (NAI) pending at the 

Department of Transportation for exemption authority and a foreign air carrier permit. 

Norwegian Air Shuttle (NAS), the parent company to NAI, began long-haul operations last year 

with routes between Thailand, Europe, and the U.S. markets ofNew York and Fort Lauderdale. 

NAS has announced plans to expand its long-haul operations into more European and U.S. 

markets and established a subsidiary, NAI, in order to carry out this expansion. 

It is my understanding that the executives at NAS have made public statements that NAI is being 

established as an airline in Ireland in order to allow the company to take advantage of hiring 

flight crews from Thailand, a practice that would not be allowed under Norwegian law. This will 

undoubtedly cut labor costs for NAI but to the detriment of all other airlines who honor the wage 

and labor laws of its home country. Media reports have also stated that NAI will not be flying 

into or out of Ireland, giving the appearance that favorable labor laws are the main, if not only, 

reason for obtaining an Irish air operator's certificate. 

The U.S.-European Union Air Transport Agreement prohibits the establishment of flags of 

convenience to evade labor protections. I urge you to thoroughly consider whether NAI's 

actions are in compliance with this agreement and any other relevant federal statutes before 

allowing them to compete with our domestic carriers. Thank you for your attention to this 

matter. 

510-140211-016 

Sincerely, 

~~~a~rJ TULSI GABBARD 

Member of Congress 

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The Honorable Anthony R. Foxx 

Secretary 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Ave SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

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