At an emergency press conference held today by the United States Department of Transportation (DOT), Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx announced that DOT has issued a one-time approval for special operating authority to engage in air transportation to specified markets.  The approval will be limited in duration, valid only from the evening of December 24 until early morning on December 25, 2015.  In granting this authority, DOT has approved one-time use of a specially powered aircraft, which the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved for nighttime operations.

The full press conference is worth viewing, with a link here.