I'm not sure I see your point. Numerous African nations' carriers fly here, some via code-shares, and numerous African nations have Open Skies agreements with the US. Can you point to an African carrier that has not had an application approved? - Bob Mann -- - R.W. Mann & Company, Inc. >> Airline Industry Analysis Port Washington, NY 11050 >> tel 516-944-0900, fax -7280 mailto:RWM@RWMann.com >> URL http://www.RWMann.com/ "Michael A. Burris" wrote: > > AIRLINE: > > Interesting that this airline seems to be getting the > green light to fly here. The US has yet to approve > this (based on an earlier post this week or last) but > it is just interesting how smoothly things can be > approved if your from the "right" country or that > country has a powerful lobby here in the US. > > I just wonder if an African country that wanted to fly > to JFK, have such a smooth path? Again, the US has yet > to approve Israir's request. > > Mike Burris > Cambridge, Massachusetts > > --- Manfred Saitz <msaitz@ping.at> wrote: > > Israir was granted permission to charter passenger > > planes from foreign leasing > > companies but all pilots must be Israeli. > > > > Dror Marom (Globes Online) 9 Jan 03 19:32 > > > > Israel Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) head Amos > > Amir today approved Israir's request > > to operate flights between Israel and the US. The > > route is one of El Al Israel > > Airlines's central activities. Initially, in > > addition to El Al, another Israeli > > airline will operate the route, after which Israir > > will begin operating the line in > > June 2003. > > Israir has been granted permission to operate > > charter flights, and the company > > intends to operate three weekly flights. The ICAA > > gave permission for Israir to land > > at New York's Kennedy International Airport. > > > > The ICAA gave permission for Israir to charter > > passenger planes from foreign leasing > > companies but will require all pilots to be Israeli. > > > > In the past, Israir was heavily criticized by the > > National Union of Airline Pilots, > > after it hired Bulgarian pilots to fly its Boeing > > 737 aircraft. > > > > Israir notified the ICAA of its intention to lease a > > Boeing 767-300 aircraft for the > > Tel Aviv - New York route. Another option is a > > larger Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet, which > > could fly directly from Ben Gurion International > > Airport to Kennedy without the need > > for a stop-over to refuel. > > > > El Al is the only Israeli airline currently > > operating a Tel Aviv - New York route, > > which accounts for 17 out of its approximately 20 > > weekly flights to the US. In the > > past, Tel Aviv - New York was the most competitive > > of all Israeli air-routes, with > > four airlines operating flights: El Al, TWA, World > > Airways and Delta Airlines > > (NYSE:DAL, DNT). > > > > Approximately 700,000 passengers fly the Tel Aviv - > > New York route every year. > > > > Israir's management decline to disclose details > > regarding upcoming activity to the > > US, but did say that it "was accelerating > > preparations for beginning the new flights > > with the intention of operating according to the > > ICAA's directives". > > > > Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on > > 09 January 2003