The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) has imposed significant fines on Ethiopian Airlines and Etihad Airways, totaling 425,000 dollars and 400,000 dollars, respectively. Ethiopian Airlines operated flights under United Airlines' code, while Etihad Airways used JetBlue's code in regions where U.S. flights were prohibited. An investigation by the Department's Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP) uncovered that from February 2020 to December 2022, Ethiopian Airlines conducted numerous flights between Ethiopia and Djibouti using United Airlines' code in airspace restricted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for United States operators. Notably, one of these flights took place after the OACP had already issued a warning letter to Ethiopian Airlines about the violation. By engaging in these flights, Ethiopian Airlines violated operational regulations and lacked the necessary authorization from the DOT. In a separate investigation, the OACP discovered that from August to September 2022, Etihad Airways operated multiple flights under JetBlue Airways' code between the United Arab Emirates and the United States in areas where the FAA had prohibited United States flights. Despite being alerted by the OACP about these violations in September and November 2022, Etihad Airways continued to fly several additional routes with JetBlue's code from January to April 2023 in the same restricted zones. By operating these flights in this manner, Etihad Airways violated the conditions of its authority to operate and engaged in air transportation without the proper DOT authority.
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