Northern Pacific Airways has filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) an application for exemption authorization and a certificate of convenience to operate passenger, goods and mail flights between the U.S. and all countries with which it has Free Skies agreements under Docket DOT-OST-2022-0060-0001.
Northern Pacific has plans to start flights between Anchorage, Alaska, with Japan and South Korea, as both Asian nations have Free Skies agreements with the U.S. The company plans to start operations in with its own crew and on Boeing 757 aircraft.
The startup plans are to create a transpacific hub in Alaska, offering customers greater travel opportunities from major U.S. metropolises and Asia at affordable prices, the company will focus on leisure and VFR (Visiting Friends and Relatives).
Northern Pacific expects a prompt approval of this application, which will allow the company to soon offer its services from Anchorage to South Korea and Japan. Operations will be subject to bilateral and multilateral agreements between the nations.
The company notifies the DOT that they have no fueling issues to operate these flights. Therefore, Northern Pacific requests that the Department immediately grant the request for waiver authorization and a certificate of appropriateness.
The startup currently has a fleet of three Boeing 757-200 aircraft registered as N200UU, N201UU and N206UW, all of which are in storage, and more are expected to be added.
Currently, the transpacific market from the United States is led by traditional operators such as United, Delta and American, and all these companies have joint ventures with other Asian airlines. The arrival of a new competitor to serve the needs of the budget passenger could create a trend of travel between the U.S. and Asia.
ZIPAIR recently became the first Low-Cost carrier on the Tokyo – Los Angeles route, a segment led by legacy carriers, and Seoul-based Air Premia expects to soon start operations between South Korea and the United States.
With the progressive openings of the Japanese and South Korean borders, Northern Pacific could take advantage of the current pent-up demand and consolidate its business model.
See also: Airline agrees to acquire six Boeing 757s to connect Asia-Pacific with the U.S.
