Low-cost airline Norwegian says it will be able to offer a ‘seamless operation and more effectively utilise its long-haul fleet’ after its UK division got the go-ahead to operate transatlantic flights.
The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has granted a foreign air carrier permit to Norwegian UK (NUK), allowing the subsidiary to operate flights between the UK, Europe and the US.
The ‘Norwegian UK’ (NUK) subsidiary was set up in 2015 and the airline employs over 1,000 pilots and crew at Gatwick.
The foreign carrier permit will allow it to use the same aircraft across all long-haul routes including the US, Singapore, Argentina and other future long-haul markets.
Norwegian CEO Bjørn Kjos said: "This is great news for Norwegian and passengers on both sides of the Atlantic, enabling 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 US is the final piece of the jigsaw, allowing us to operate a seamless operation with affordable fares to a range of global destinations.
"New routes will also lead to more jobs, and along with the 1,000 pilots and crew already working for us at London Gatwick, we look forward to creating thousands more jobs and economic benefits as we continue to grow."
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.
Norwegian already flies from five UK airports, Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and Belfast, carrying over five million UK passengers each year to over 50 destinations.
