US Government concerned about Japanese comments on ATI approvals
US Department of Transportation (DoT) International Aviation Office head, Paul Gretch, issued the following US Government Talking Points by telephone to Japanese Transportation Counselor, Yoshiro Funabiki, last week: [more]
US Government: "We are quite concerned about much of the recent press reports out of Tokyo indicating that the US and Japan have agreed or prearranged approval of any ATI applications on any certain schedule. As we have consistently said from the outset of the negotiations, the U.S. government is not in the business of picking or choosing partners for our carriers and we most certainly have not and can not make any guarantees that any or all applications for ATI would be approved by DOT, including the one currently before the Department. In the US, each application for ATI is considered on a case-by-case basis and undergoes a rigorous competitive analysis before any preliminary judgments are made", Paul Gretch, International Aviation Office, DoT.