Transatlantic flights from Cork finally get the go-ahead
US officials have granted a permit to Norwegian Air International after several delays.
THE US DEPARTMENT of Transportation has granted a permit to Norwegian Air International (NAI) to operate services between Ireland and the US, clearing the way for transatlantic flight from Cork Airport.
The airline plans to initially launch a Cork-to-Boston service before introducing a Cork-to-New York route.
Niall MacCarthy, managing director at Cork Airport, said the decision was “monumentous news for air travellers on both sides of the Atlantic”.
“I firmly believe this will permanently transform the transatlantic market in Ireland and further afield for the better.
“Norwegian will do for transatlantic travel what Ryanair has done for European travel, bringing lower fares, increased competition and growth to the overall market.”
NAI was granted a licence to operate from Ireland in 2014 after it was moved here by its parent company, Scandinavian airline Norwegian Air Shuttle, to avail of the EU-US Open Skies Agreement. The parent company already operates flights from Europe to the US.
The agreement allows airlines registered in either the US or EU to operate flights between the two regions. Since Norway is not a member of the EU, NAI needed to register itself in Ireland – or another EU country – to avail of those rights.
The airline announced that it planned to launch “low-cost” flights from Cork to Boston in May of this year, with the provision of operating another service to New York in 2017 if the first route was successful. It said it also hoped to operate flights out of Shannon.
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Even though it “tentatively” agreed to grant NAI a permit in June, Washington has continued to postpone its final decision because of strong opposition from US airlines and trade unions.
They claimed that Norwegian Air Shuttle is just using the subsidiary’s Irish registration as a ‘flag of convenience’ to skirt Norway’s strict labour laws, and that it will recruit cheap staff in Asia to cut costs at the expense of American jobs.
MacCarthy said the decision is the result of “a tremendous amount of work undertaken to secure this route on both sides of the Atlantic”.
Good for Cork
Transport Minister Shane Ross also welcomed the decision, saying it was “good news for consumers on both sides of the Atlantic”.
“The launch of those services, bringing additional capacity and the direct transatlantic connectivity into the region, will be a boost for Cork Airport and for Cork business and tourism, and I am sure that the services will be well supported by the people in Cork and the wider catchment area,” Ross said.
Reporting by Órla Ryan and Fora staff.
