(a) An air carrier that has not commenced any type of air transportation operations for which it was found fit, willing, and able within one year of the date of that finding, or an air carrier that, for any period of one year after the date of such a finding, has not provided any type of air transportation for which that kind of finding is required, is deemed no longer to continue to be fit to provide the air transportation for which it was found fit and, accordingly, its authority to provide such air transportation shall be revoked.

(b) An air carrier found fit which commences operations within one year after being found fit but then ceases operations, shall not resume operations without first filing all of the data required by § 204.3 at least 45 days before it intends to provide any such air transportation. Such filings shall be addressed to the Docket Operations Office, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590. The Department will entertain requests for exemption from this 45-day advance filing requirement for good cause shown. If there has been no change in fitness data previously formally filed with the Department, the carrier shall file a sworn statement to that effect signed by one of its officers. The carrier may contact the Department (Air Carrier Fitness Division) to ascertain which data are already available to the Department and need not be refiled. A carrier to which this paragraph applies shall not provide any air transportation for which it is required to be found fit, willing, and able until the Department decides that the carrier continues to be fit, willing, and able to perform such air transportation. During the pendency of the Department's consideration of a data submission under this paragraph, the expiration period set out in paragraph (a) of this section shall be stayed. If the decision or finding by the Department on the issue of the carrier's fitness is favorable, the date or that decision or finding shall be the date considered in applying paragraph (a) of this section.

(c) For purposes of this section, the date of a Department decision or finding shall be the service date of the Department's order containing such decision or finding, or, in cases where the Department's decision or finding is made by letter, the date of such letter.

(d) For purposes of this section, references to operations and to the providing of air transportation shall refer only to the actual performance of flight operations under an operating certificate issued to the carrier by the FAA.