(a) Interstate Transportation.—(1) Except as provided in subsection (d) of this section, the transportation of passengers or property by CRAF-eligible aircraft in interstate air transportation obtained by the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of a military department through a contract for airlift service in the United States may be provided only by an air carrier that—
(A) has aircraft in the civil reserve air fleet or offers to place the aircraft in that fleet; and
(B) holds a certificate issued under section 41102 of title 49.
(2) The Secretary of Transportation shall act as expeditiously as possible on an application for a certificate under section 41102 of title 49 to provide airlift service.
(b) Transportation Between the United States and Foreign Locations.—Except as provided in subsection (d), the transportation of passengers or property by CRAF-eligible aircraft between a place in the United States and a place outside the United States obtained by the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of a military department through a contract for airlift service shall be provided by an air carrier referred to in subsection (a).
(c) Transportation Between Foreign Locations.—The transportation of passengers or property by CRAF-eligible aircraft between two places outside the United States obtained by the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of a military department through a contract for airlift service shall be provided by an air carrier referred to in subsection (a) whenever transportation by such an air carrier is reasonably available.
(d) Exception.—When the Secretary of Defense decides that no air carrier holding a certificate under section 41102 of title 49 is capable of providing, and willing to provide, the airlift service, the Secretary of Defense may make a contract to provide the service with an air carrier not having a certificate.
(e) CRAF-eligible Aircraft Defined.—In this section, "CRAF-eligible aircraft" means aircraft of a type the Secretary of Defense has determined to be eligible to participate in the civil reserve air fleet.
