JAPANESE GOVERNMENT THREATENS TO BLOCK NARITA SLOT TRANSFER

JAPANESE GOVERNMENT THREATENS TO BLOCK NARITA SLOT TRANSFER    The U.S. Department of Transportation, in response to the Japanese government’s threat to block the transfer of slots between U.S. airlines at Tokyo’s Narita Airport, has required Japanese airlines to submit to the DOT their all-cargo schedules for service to the United States.
According to the DOT’s order, Japanese air carriers must submit their all-cargo schedules by Friday.
   DOT said it would consider denying rights to a Japanese carrier or carriers for some current U.S. services, if the issue is not resolved quickly.
   “The U.S. government abides by its obligations under international agreements, and we expect our partners to do the same,” said Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta. “We will not hesitate to take action if the rights of U.S. air carriers are violated.”
   After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Delta Air Lines withdrew most of its services to Japan. Delta had arranged to transfer its slots at Narita to FedEx, which it had obtained from the express carrier in 1998. On Feb. 25, however, the Japanese government said it would not permit the slot transfer and would put the slots in a pool for reallocation to other carriers.
   DOT argued that the slot transfer was in accordance with the 1998 U.S.-Japan aviation agreement as well as international guidelines. DOT added that “without such transfers, the 1998 agreement would not have been possible, since ‘non-incumbent’ carriers such as Delta lacked slots to implement new services under the agreement.”
   A meeting in Washington between U.S. and Japanese officials Tuesday failed to resolve the issue. Delta plans to return the slots to FedEx on March 31.