Norse Atlantic to link London Gatwick and US in 2022
Norse Atlantic Airways is due to start operating from London Gatwick when it launches operations between Europe and the United States in 2022, the British and Irish transport workers union Unite revealed after meeting representatives of the low-cost long-haul start-up.
The airline is expected to hire former employees of Norwegian staffing firm Norwegian Air Resources UK Limited, which halted its operations earlier this year, the union said in a statement on August 17.
“Unite met with Norse Atlantic Airways last week and is set to agree a timetable for further discussions on the collective bargaining agreements for our members following the signing of a recognition agreement earlier this year,” explained Unite regional officer Claire Simpson.
The news is “a much needed boost for the UK aviation industry” as the embattled sector navigates its way out of the pandemic, she added, and “for Gatwick Airport in particular.”
“Norse Atlantic is looking to start operations next year and this will be a vital opportunity for former Norwegian Air Resources employees, many of them Unite members, who were made redundant in January,” she said.
Norse Atlantic Airways responded to ch-aviation’s request for comment by saying: “We have made no announcements about a potential LGW start-up. However, we have said that London is an interesting market for Norse, which is why the company has talks with local unions.” It added that “Norse Atlantic Airways values Unite as one of our key social partners. The association shares the same core principles in that we wish to be a career airline and an airline of choice.”
Last week, Gatwick said it had lost GBP244.6 million pounds (USD335 million) during the half-year period ending June 30, 2021, which chief executive Stewart Wingate described as “the most challenging six months the airport has witnessed.” Forced travel bans and a collapse in demand saw just 569,000 people pass through the airport during the period. Wingate urged the British government “to act now and remove unnecessary and costly PCR testing requirements for passengers, particularly for those double vaccinated” or risk lagging behind the US and Europe.
Norse Atlantic Airways’ first B787-9 rolled out of the International Aerospace Coatings (IAC) paint shop in Shannon on August 15, the airline revealed with images on social media. Registered as LN-LNO (msn 38779), as when it flew under Norwegian, it is the first of 15 of the type Norse Atlantic will lease in its livery, though it is still awaiting its Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 J2 engines.