Norwegian must continue to wait to see if its application for a foreign air carrier permit has been successful.
The US department of transport said it will continue to review the permit for Norwegian’s British-based subsidiary Norwegian UK (NUK) to operate flights between the US and Europe.
This means NUK’s permit application remains pending, but Norwegian is “confident it will receive its permanent authority”.
Norwegian’s U.S. flights currently operate under the Norwegian Air Shuttle Air Operator Certificate, which allows the airline to operate between the U.S. and Europe.
It said with US approval for NUK, the airline will be able to utilise its long-haul fleet and establish a seamless operation, including the use of the same aircraft on both US and other long-haul routes to destinations such as Asia, South Africa and South America.
The application for a permanent licence has been fiercely contested by some parts of the industry. They claim the main reason for the move is to bypass Norway’s strict labour laws, avoiding high labour costs and enabling it to employ cheaper Thai workers.
Norwegian denies this claim and said the move is to gain access to future traffic rights to and from the EU.
A Norwegian spokesperson said: “Norwegian UK is a recognised British airline, with a large UK base and the support of the UK Government. Given Norwegian UK’s clear and legitimate right to a Foreign Carrier Permit, we therefore remain confident we will receive final approval.”
Sign up to BBT’s twice-weekly newsletter