Norse Atlantic Airways is edging closer to launch, with the airline planning to start ticket sales soon.
The airline is moving towards something rather important – selling tickets for flights The airline aims to launch ticket sales by the end of March and the first commercial flight to take off in the second quarter of 2022.
Norse Atlantic Airways is still keeping its first destination close to its chest, although it has stated it will be from Oslo to the United States of America.
The company received more than 3,000 applications for its initial 50 pilot positions based in Oslo and training has now commenced. The first cabin crew base will be established in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and training of the first class of a total of more than 400 team members will start in a few weeks. Cabin crew bases in other locations will be established in line with the increased operation as the airline scales.
Norse has signed collective bargaining agreements with pilot and cabin crew unions in Norway, the U.S. and UK.
As stated before, the airline will operate the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in its fleet, with both the 787-8 and 787-9 meant to be joining the fleet. Currently, the airline has four aircraft parked at Oslo Airport. The remaining 11 will be delivered consecutively in the coming months. The company will start cautiously and gradually add capacity in line with demand.
This will bring the Norse Atlantic Airways fleet to a strength of 15 aircraft.
In Quotes
CEO Bjørn Tore Larsen of Norse had a fair few things to say. Firstly on selling tickets:
“Future customers and supporters on both sides of the Atlantic are reaching out to us every day asking about when they can start buying tickets, when we will be airborne and not least what routes we will be offering. We are thrilled about the interest in the market and can confirm that our goal is to launch ticket sales by the end of March and our first flight to take off in the second quarter,”
“We are working on finalizing our route network and look forward to announcing our destinations when we open for sale,
On the airlines’ crew, he adds:
“Our people will be our competitive advantage. We are building a high-performance culture and creating an environment where we value diversity, ensuring that all colleagues feel a sense of belonging. We are very pleased with the colleagues we have recruited so far,”
On the 787 fleet and the future, he concludes:
“We believe that transatlantic travel will resume with full force once the pandemic is behind us. People will want to explore new destinations, visit friends and family and travel for business. Norse will be there to offer attractive and affordable flights on our more environmentally friendly Boeing 787 Dreamliners to both leisure and cost-conscious business travelers,”
Waiting on the date
For budget travellers, there will be a lot of eyes on the start date when Norse takes to the air. Similarly, as demand increases from other markets, the airline could find room for growth.
The issues will be ones that will be outside the airline control – be they governmental or how much fuel prices spike upwards.
It’s going to be interesting to see if they can pull through the first sales and make it beyond the first few years of operation… and if they have learnt the lessons of its predecessors.
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