Talofa Airways is seeking an emergency exemption from the US Department of Transportation to continue flights to and from American Samoa after Samoa announced plans to pull out of the international open skies agreement known as MALIAT, Multilateral Agreement on the Liberalization of International Air Transportation.
There’s no explanation concerning Samoa’s move to pull out of this agreement by which Talofa Airways had been given approval to operate scheduled and charter flight service to American Samoa.
Samoa gave notice last year that it intended to withdraw from MALIAT and the effective date of the pullout from the open skies agreement is March 9, 2019.
Talofa Airways indicates in its application to the USDOT that due to Samoa’s withdrawal from MALIAT, it requests that the USDOT promptly issue an emergency exemption in order to continue the traffic rights which the airline is currently authorized to exercise.
The airline said approval of its request is in the public interest as it will ensure continuity of air commerce between Samoa and the US, including but not limited to ensuring scheduled air services to remote island communities are not disrupted.
Before Talofa Airways’ entry into the inter-Samoa route, Samoa Airways (formerly Polynesian Airlines), had a monopoly on the inter-Samoa air service.
The airline also flies to Tonga twice a week and has been eyeing flights to Ofu, Manu’a.
