Two uniquely Pacific airlines are in a brawl, with Guam’s Asia Pacific Airlines (P9) declaring to the US Department of Transportation (DOT) that Nauru Airlines bid to operate each cargo and passenger flights within the region was unfair and the Guam based carrier looks to defend its lucrative cargo operations within the Western Pacific.
The appliance from Nauru Airlines (ON) was for an exemption and foreign air carrier permit to facilitate charter flights between the US territories and to/from Nauru and throughout the region.
Asia Pacific Airlines, recently grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration as a consequence of a pilot training issue, had left multiple central and western Pacific nations and territories without essential connectivity for freight deliveries. The FAA has since rescinded the grounding, and Asia Pacific Airlines is unexpectantly attempting to protect a foreign airline stepping in on its turf.
Photo: Asia Pacific Airlines
Serving the region for 20 years
The Guam-based carrier has been providing federally funded cargo services for over 20 years and is a US-certified carrier. The airline presently is fully able to transporting and facilitating the service within the region; nonetheless, it believes that the Nauru Airlines move raises credibility and capability concerns and is in breach of the Fly America Act (which identifies that every one US federally funded cargo have to be by a US carrier). The Guam-based carrier believes that Nauru Airlines is attempting to receive authority over fifth freedom markets that US airlines can serve.
Nauru Airlines has applied for and received its foreign air carrier permit for Guam but has never exercised its rights. Nevertheless, its latest filing with DOT raised concerns that the move could violate the USPS and Fly America Act statutes. The Nauri carrier’s CEO Brett Gebers returned its argument, noting to ch-aviation:
“We did nothing mistaken; Nauru Airlines responded to United Airlines’ call for help. It was a humanitarian mission to help the Island states.”
From the surface, you would possibly think that Nauru desired to help while Asia Pacific was grounded, nonetheless, it seems that the move has hurt the Guam carrier’s ego.
Photo: Asia Pacific Airlines
Asia Pacific Airlines’ filing with DOT
Asia Pacific Airlines filing its attack against Nauru Airlines with the DOT noted that Nevertheless, the filing then alleges that the flights operated by Nauru Airlines relied on the Part 375 special authorization the Nauri carrier that it received back in July 2022, further identifying that the authority didn’t allow the permit the transport of USPS cargo and mail, As noted by P9’s filing:
“Part 375 special authorizations only provide for ‘occasional planeload charters’ by a foreign aircraft operator, where those operations don’t constitute an engagement in foreign air transportation. It bears emphasis that Nauru Airlines didn’t try and seek emergency exemption authority for such flights.”