Some Walked Off The Airplane Because Of An Approaching Snowstorm, Officials Investigating

Norwegian civil aviation officials are investigating an incident in which a Norwegian Airlines aircraft made a trans-Atlantic flight with a reduced cabin crew in January.

The Norwegian news site thelocal.no reports that the January 26th flight from New York to Stockholm departed even after four of the plane's nine crewmembers reportedly got off the plane because of an approaching snowstorm. But the pilot decided to go ahead and depart with 196 passengers on board.

While Norwegian aviation authorities say it is against the rules to fly with a reduced crew, the head of Norwegian's flight operations Thomas Hesthammer said in an email to the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladed that a cabin crew of five is consistent with the airline's minimum crew requirements.

Norwegian Airlines spokeswoman Charlotte Holmbergh Jacobsson said the airport was open when the flight departed, and other airlines were conducting normal operations. She said the pilot has the responsibility for determining whether it is safe to fly. "That's not a task for the cabin crew." She said that those who had left the airplane had been grounded while the investigation in being conducted.

(Image from file)

FMI:  http://luftfartstilsynet.no/caa_no/