Volga-Dnepr J.S. Cargo Airline

OST-04-17089 - Emergency Exemption - Cape Canaveral-Moffet Field

February 10, 2004

Application for An Emergency Exemption

Volga‑Dnepr will operate the flight on behalf of SSL as part of an effort to provide urgently needed lift to reach Moffet Field not later than the scheduled shipment date. SSL is shipping the container from Cape Canaveral in order to be able to reuse this uniquely designed equipment to accommodate subsequent satellite shipments within SSL's aggressive production and launch schedules. The payload must ship to Moffet Field no later than the established shipment date to enable SSL to reuse it to complete the final integration and launch processes. As a result, SSL stands to lose millions of dollars if the shipment does not occur on time, while only the use of Volga‑Dneprs outsized aircraft can make it possible to perform the service in question within the set schedule.

Counsel: The Wicks Group, Glenn Wicks, 202-457-7790

OST-04-17089 - Cape Canaveral-Moffet Field

Filed: February 4, 2004 | Issued: February 12, 2004

Notice of Action | Word

Exemption from 49 U.S.C. section 40109(g) to permit the applicant to operate, on behalf of Space Systems Loral, one, one-way cargo charter flight from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to Moffet Field, California, on about February 12, 2004, using its AN-124-100 aircraft. The cargo to be carried is one Space Systems Loral empty satellite container and associated equipment. The applicant stated that Space Systems Loral needs prompt shipment of this particular container to Moffet Field, because of an unanticipated satellite-production delay suffered by the shipper Space Systems Loral, and, thus, that the company now urgently needs the container back by February 12, 2004, to use for packaging a satellite scheduled for prompt delivery to a customer, that the cargo is too large for transportation on U.S.-carrier aircraft; and that surface transportation is not feasible because of the cargo’s large size and delicate nature and need for prompt delivery.

By: Karan Bhatia

February 11, 2004

Supplement to Application for Emergency Exemption

Letter from Loral: Following up on our letter dated February 1, 2004, with respect to the need for Space Systems Loral (SSL) to transport one outsized empty satellite container from Caper Canaveral to Moffet Field using AN-124-100 aircraft operated by VolgaDnepr Airlines, this is to reiterate that (1) due to the size of the container it cannot be accommodated on any commercially available U.S. domestic carrier aircraft; (2) SSL needs to transport the empty container back to Moffet Field to be able to reuse for the shipment of its next satellite within the schedules set for such shipment: and (3) due to an unanticipated delay in the production of the SATMEX communications satellite that is currently being delivered from Moffet Field to Cape Canaveral in the referenced container, SSL cannot use road or rail to return the empty container to Moffet Field because only shipment by air will make it possible to restore the set schedules and meet subsequent customer delivery deadlines without creating undue hardship for traffic at issue.

Counsel: The Wicks Group, Glenn Wicks, 202-457-7790