
The U.S. Department of Transportation has approved Samoa Airways’ application to extend cabotage waiver for another 180 days in order to transport passengers and mail between Tutuila and Manu’a. The airline’s previous cabotage exemption expired on July 10. The new exemption allows the Samoa carrier to operate scheduled flights on the Tutuila-to-Manu’a route up to January 6, 2026.
USDOT’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs, Daniel Edwards said, “The approval was required in the public interest. The absence of US carrier passenger service, with no such service foreseeable in the near future, continues to constitute an emergency created by unusual circumstances not arising in the normal course of business.”
He added that, based on the record in this proceeding, “We concluded that no U.S. carrier has aircraft available that could be used to conduct the operation at issue here. We also found that grant of this authority would prevent unreasonable hardship to the residents of American Samoa. Finally, we found that the applicant was qualified to perform its proposed operations.”
The extension of cabotage waiver is for the period from July 11, 2025, through January 6, 2026, or until five days after a U.S. carrier initiates intra-American Samoa passenger operations, whichever occurs first.