DOT Gives Norwegian UK Final Approval for Transatlantic Operations
22-Sep-2017 Norwegian announced today that its British subsidiary, Norwegian UK (NUK), was granted a foreign air carrier permit by the United States Department of Transportation (DOT). The permit allows NUK to operate flights between the UK, Europe and the U.S.
NUK was established in 2015 to allow Norwegian to build on its growing long-haul operations by accessing bilateral traffic rights to a series of global markets. With these new traffic rights, Norwegian will be able to establish a seamless operation and more effectively utilize its long-haul fleet - this includes the use of the same aircraft across all long-haul routes including the U.S., Singapore, Argentina and other future long-haul markets.
"This is great news for Norwegian and passengers on both sides of the Atlantic, and this approval enables us to offer even more new routes, greater choice and lower fares. Our Norwegian UK subsidiary has already opened the door to a range of new markets, so securing access to the U.S is the final piece of the puzzle, allowing us to operate a seamless operation with affordable fares to a range of global destinations," Norwegian's CEO Bjørn Kjos.
"New routes will also lead to more jobs, and along with the more than 600 pilots and flight attendants already working for us in the United States, we look forward to creating thousands more jobs and economic benefits as we continue to grow. We would like to thank the many airports, airlines, businesses and politicians on both sides of the Atlantic for supporting for NUK and the huge benefits of Open Skies and fair competition."
Work will now begin to establish which elements of Norwegian's existing long-haul operations (including new and existing routes, aircraft and crew) will be operated by the NUK subsidiary in future.