Alaska State Legislature
News from the House Majority

Jerry Ritter, House Majority Press Secretary
State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801
Phone: (907) 465-3804
web site: http://www.akrepublicans.org
Actuality line: 1-800-478-6540

House Supports Anchorage Role as "Air Crossroads of the World"

Measure Supports Mandatory Stopover for Russian Flights

For Immediate Release April 18, 1998 Contact: Rep. Bill Williams at (907) 465-4858.

Juneau -- The Alaska House Saturday passed House Joint Resolution 67. HJR 67 urges the U.S. Department of Transportation to negotiate renewal of the bilateral agreement to retain the mandatory stopover in Anchorage for transpacific flights between the Lower 48 and the Russian Far East.

"It is vital that the mandatory stopovers of Russian air carriers continue so that Anchorage can continue in its proper role as the American gateway to the Russian Far East," said Representative Bill Williams (D-Saxman), Chairman of the House Transportation Committee, which sponsored HJR 67. "In addition to the close historical and cultural ties between the peoples of Alaska and the Russian Far East, the state has also established agreements with many Russian cities and territories to help with their continuing transition into a market-based economy. Discontinuation of direct Alaska-Russian air service would severely hamper these efforts and have widespread effects across the entire state," Williams said.

"Without this agreement, Anchorage International Airport could see an additional decline in international traffic," Williams said "In short, continuation of mandatory Russian stopovers in Anchorage is good for Anchorage, good for Alaska, and good for the developing economies of the Russian Far East," Williams said.

# # #