Norwegian Fined Over Pilot Rehiring Violations
Norwegian Group must pay DKK 3.3 million (USD 456,000) after an arbitration ruling found it breached a union agreement on pilot rehiring at its Danish base. The low-cost carrier failed to prioritize seniority when re-employing pilots at Copenhagen Kastrup in 2021, violating its longstanding agreement with Norway’s Parat union.
The case involved 58 pilots who lost their jobs during COVID-19 when Norwegian’s Danish and Swedish subsidiaries went bankrupt. While most have been rehired, the union argued that Norwegian ignored its master seniority principle, which grants pilots re-employment based on overall group seniority, regardless of location. Instead, Norwegian rehired through its local subsidiary, Norwegian Crew Resources Denmark ANS.
The arbitration ruling, which is final and unappealable, applied Danish law. Parat noted that if Norwegian law had been used, the penalties would have been significantly higher.
“We are pleased the court reduced the claim to a fraction of the original demand,” a Norwegian spokesperson told Nettavisen Økonomi.
Norwegian Air Shuttle AOC currently operates six Boeing 737-8s and 39 Boeing 737-800s, with ten bases, including Billund, Denmark. Its sister airline, Norwegian Air Sweden AOC, operates 18 Boeing 737-8s and 25 Boeing 737-800s, with six bases, including Copenhagen Kastrup.
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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com