Norwegian Air gets tentative approval for transatlantic flights
Friday, 18 Apr, 2016
0
After more than two years in limbo, the Ireland based unit of Norwegian Air has been granted tentative approval to operate low cost transatlantic flights to Europe.
The approval process had been held up over strong opposition by labor unions and US airlines claiming the airline established a base in Ireland simply to circumvent labor laws.
After Norwegian said it would only employ US and European based crew on flights, regulators at the Department of Transportation approved the application.
DOT said there was no legal argument to deny the application based on current rules.
"Norwegian Air International appears to meet DOT’s normal standards for award of a permit and that there appears to be no legal basis to deny NAI’s application," a DOT statement said.
Still, DOT has opened up a three-week public consultation period to take comments before it will officially give the green light.
The decision was called ‘an affront to fair competition’ by Capt. Tim Canoll, president of the Air Line Pilots Association.
"It will allow Norwegian to expand our US. operations. Our continued presence in the US will create thousands of jobs and generate tens of millions of dollars of economic activity for the Group’s US destinations," said CEO Bjorn Kjos of Norwegian Air.
If it receives final approval NAI expects to start flying from Cork to Boston by the year-end.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent