Norse Atlantic Airways

Norse Atlantic Airways was founded in February 2021[3] by Bjørn Tore Larsen, with Bjorn Kise and Bjørn Kjos holding minority stakes.[4][5] The airline was announced on 15 March 2021, alongside its plans to begin selling tickets in the fall of 2021 for the start of scheduled commercial flights in December 2021. The airline's plans also included intentions to operate twelve Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft previously operated by Norwegian Air Shuttle and its associated subsidiaries, establishing partnerships with other Norway-based airlines, including Norwegian Air Shuttle and startup airline Flyr,[5] as well as floating the company onto the Oslo Stock Exchange.[6] The airline had announced London, Oslo, and Paris in Europe, alongside Los Angeles, Miami, and New York City in the United States among its planned initial destination cities,[4] and had additionally expressed interest in later serving destinations in Asia.[7] To launch the company, its shareholders completed a private placement of 1.275 billion Norwegian crowns ($150 million US dollars) on 26 March 2021.[8] On 29 March 2021, AerCap announced the signing of a lease agreement with Norse Atlantic for the airline's first nine Boeing 787s, consisting of three 787-8s and six 787-9s.[9] Following Norse Atlantic's debut on the Oslo stock market on 12 April 2021, the company raised upwards of 1.4 billion Norwegian crowns ($165 million US dollars) in its initial public offering (IPO).[10][11]

During August 2021, Norse Atlantic Airways announced that it had secured leasing rights for a further six Boeing 787-9s from BOC Aviation, increasing its planned fleet from twelve to fifteen aircraft, with deliveries beginning in 2021 and the deliveries to be completed during 2022.[12][13] On 10 August 2021, the airline additionally revealed its updated corporate image and aircraft livery.[14] Subsequently, Norse Atlantic's planned launch of operations was postponed from December 2021 to the summer of 2022, with the company citing travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the start of ticket sales planned to take place approximately three months prior to launch.[14][15] The airline also announced that it had applied for an air operator's certificate (AOC) in Norway, and that it planned to apply for an additional AOC in the United Kingdom.[16][17] By the end of the month, airline still had not publicly specified any airports it would serve,[14] but was later reported by the end of the month to have entered agreements with London's Gatwick Airport.[18] In September 2021, the airline within its application to the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) for a foreign air carrier permit outlined the operation of flights from Oslo to Fort Lauderdale, Newburgh, and Ontario airports, serving the Miami, New York City, and Los Angeles areas respectively.[19] By November 2021, the airline was reported to have been allocated arrival and departure slots at London Stansted Airport.[20]

On 20 December 2021, Norse Atlantic's first Boeing 787-9 was ferried to Oslo ahead of its planned spring 2022 launch of operations,[21][22] and on 29 December 2021, the airline was granted its AOC by the Civil Aviation Authority of Norway.[23] On 14 January 2022, the airline received approval from the USDOT to operate scheduled and chartered service between Europe and the USA.[24] On 15 March 2022, a year following Norse Atlantic's public reveal, the airline announced that it planned to begin ticket sales in April 2022 with the launch of operations to occur during June 2022, and that it had been allocated slots at London's Gatwick Airport.[25] On 11 April 2022, the airline received its approval for its foreign air carrier permit from the USDOT.[26] The airline subsequently opened reservations and announced its initial route network on 28 April 2022, and that flights would launch on 14 June 2022 between Oslo and New York JFK, before later operating services to Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Los Angeles as part of its initial network. Notably, the airline deviated from its intentions to operate to Newburgh or Ontario.[27]

Norse Atlantic Airways is headquartered in Arendal, Norway. At its establishment during early 2021, the airline was 63% owned by CEO Bjørn Tore Larsen and affiliates, 15% owned by Bjørn Kjos, and 12% by Bjørn Kise.[5] Following the company's listing on the Oslo Stock Exchange, Bjørn Tore Larsen remained the majority shareholder with a 12.3% stake, followed by institutional investors such as DNB SMB (6.7%), Delphi Nordic (6.6%) and Skagen Vekst (5.8%) by October 2021.[28]

As of April 2022, Norse Atlantic Airways plans to operate to the following destinations:[29]

As of May 2022, Norse Atlantic Airways operates the following aircraft:[30][2]

Norse Atlantic's corporate logo is directly inspired by the Oseberg Ship, with the airline's associated livery and branding inspired by the longships used by the vikings to cross the North Atlantic.[14] Its aircraft are named after various national parks located in countries served by the airline.[15]

Following Norse Atlantic's public reveal in March 2021, observers and media outlets drew comparisons to the similarity of its business model to Norwegian Air Shuttle and its long-haul operations.[7] A factor included the presence of key executives with connections to Norwegian among Norse Atlantic's founders and investors, with Kjos serving as Norwegian's former CEO, Kise formerly serving as Norwegian's chairman, and Larsen the chairman of OSM Aviation, a company responsible for providing staff for many of Norwegian's flight operations prior to Norwegian's restructuring.[31] Other aspects of Norse Atlantic's proposed operations additionally coincided, including its choice of destinations, and the specific Boeing 787 airframes it leased being previously operated by Norwegian, with the planes to retain the same seating configuration when operated by Norse Atlantic.[12][32]

Additional parallels to Norwegian's past actions were drawn when on 24 March 2021, United States congressman Peter DeFazio urged in a statement that a foreign air carrier permit be denied to Norse Atlantic, on the basis of detrimental effects caused by the 2016 issuing of a foreign air carrier permit to Norwegian Air International, claiming the company had circumvented Norway's labor protections through Irish incorporation. In response to the allegations, Norse Atlantic CEO Bjørn Tore Larsen stated that the airline is an independent Norwegian company and had planned to have permanent employees based in the United States.[33] During May 2021, the airline reached agreements with unions representing flight attendants including those based in the United States, prior to their employment.[34][35] The British Airline Pilots Association also announced a partnership with the airline in September 2021.[36]

• List of airlines of Norway

• Official website