Says Legacy Carriers Are 'Afraid Of Competition’

The CEO of Norwegian Airlines recently blasted the U.S. Department of Transportation for ongoing delays in approving the carriers Foreign Carrier Permit, saying that the long delay is "simply fear of competition" on the part of legacy carriers.

Norwegian CEO Bjorn Kjos made the remarks at the Aviation Club in London. Buying Business Travel reports that Kjos said the applications made through the U.K. and Irish operations meet all the requirements of the EU-US Open Skies agreement. "And yet both have faced unnecessary delays by the US authorities.”

He said that while opponents have alleged that Norwegian will use low-paid Asian crews on the U.S. routes to save money, those accusations are simply not true. "we have made a firm commitment that any transatlantic routes would only use crew on UK, US or EU contracts. So what is the real reason for opposition to our application? Put simply it is fear of competition.”

Norwegian currently flies from Gatwick to Kennedy Airport in New York, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando in Florida, and Los Angeles, CA. It also offers services between New York and LA, but is looking for a license to expand those services.

Kjos also said in the speech that he supports the expansion of Gatwick Airport. He said that the airline would base more than 50 Dreamliners and 100 short-haul aircraft at an expanded Gatwick airport.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.norwegian.com.US