Nyhetsbyrået melder at Norwegian ikke får noen ny midlertidig flytillatelse i USA. Det skal være det amerikanske samferdselsdepartementet som stadfester dette, melder Dow Jones, ifølge E24.
Norwegian har søkt myndighetene i USA om en permanent flytillatelse, for sitt irske datterselskap Norwegian Air International i over to og et halvt år.
Det var ventet at det vil komme en avklaring på saken, men opplysningene fra Dow Jones peker på at flyselskapet har fått avslått en ny midlertidig lisens.
Noe av grunnen til at saken har dratt ut er iherdig argumentasjon fra konkurrenter og fagforeninger på begge sider av Atlanteren, som mener at Norwegian vil bruke mannskap fra lavkostland og dermed uthule eksisterende rettigheter.

Norwegian bekrefter

Norwegian bekrefter at det amerikanske samferdselsdepartementet «har besluttet å fortsette behandlingen av søknaden til Norwegians britiske datterselskap om å fly til USA».
– Dagens beslutning innebærer at departementet vil bruke enda mer tid på å behandle søknaden om en permanent flytillatelse for Norwegian Air UK, heter det i en pressemelding fra flyselskapet sent torsdag kveld
Ifølge pressemeldingen vil tillatelsen være den samme som Norwegian allerede har i morselskapet Norwegian Air Shuttle. Departementet har ikke innvilget søknaden om midlertidig tillatelse, skriver flyselskapet videre.
Norwegian forventer at amerikanske myndigheter følger Open Skies-avtalen mellom Europa og USA og godkjenner søknaden.

Clinton advarte mot Norwegian-lisens

I mai ble det kjent at Hillary Clinton har bedt Barack Obama nekte Norwegian flytillatelse i USA. Hun er en mange kritikere av Norwegians forsøk på å få tillatelse til å fly til og fra USA.
Norwegian Air International (NAI) flyr nå på morselskapets lisens. Fagforeninger både i Europa og USA har protestert mot etableringen av datterselskapet.
Søknaden fra datterselskapet om en permanent flytillatelse, en såkalt «foreign air carrier permit», ble sendt inn i desember 2013.
Normalt tar det et par måneder å få svar på en sånn søknad, men Norwegian har altså ventet i over to og et halvt år.

41 ruter mellom USA og Europa

I april var en representant for det amerikanske samferdselsdepartementet i Oslo for å møte Norwegian-sjef Bjørn Kjos. Etter dette møtet sa Kjos at han var fornøyd med møtet.
Samtidig fortsetter Norwegians internasjonale ekspansjon. Fra desember vil Norwegian fly to ukentlige avganger mellom Sør-Florida og øya som tilhører den franske delen av Karibia.
På grunn av stor etterspørsel forrige vintersesong vil Norwegian tilby fire ukentlige avganger mellom New York og Guadeloupe. Det opplyste Norwegian i en pressemelding mandag.
Norwegian tilbyr nå 41 ruter mellom USA og Europa.

Release #: 16.23
Date: June 30, 2016

ALPA Pilots Welcome DOT Rejection of NAUK

DOT Action Safeguards Fair Competition for U.S. Airlines

WASHINGTON––The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) praised today’s U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) decision to deny Norwegian Air UK’s (NAUK) foreign air carrier permit exemption application as a significant milestone in the drive to ensure fair competition for U.S. airlines in the global marketplace.
“The Department of Transportation took a stand for fair competition today with its denial of Norwegian Air UK’s request for an exemption to serve the United States,” said Capt. Tim Canoll, ALPA’s president. “U.S. airline pilots commend the DOT for seeking to ensure that foreign airlines do not gain an unfair economic advantage in competing against U.S. airlines.”
In its order, the DOT found that NAUK’s request raises “novel and complex” issues and that granting an exemption would not be in the public interest. ALPA has opposed NAUK’s exemption application, which would have allowed it to fly to the United States while the DOT considered its foreign air carrier permit application. NAUK is a UK airline, and its employment structure for its pilots and flight attendants is unclear, as are as its potential effects on U.S. jobs and the international airline industry.
“U.S. airlines and their workers are the best in the world, but they will struggle to compete if the U.S. government does not stop foreign airlines that attempt to use unfair business practices to gain a marketplace advantage,” said Capt. Canoll.
“The United States must continue to enforce its international aviation policy to make certain that foreign air carrier business plans will not threaten fair competition for U.S. airlines in the future,” said Capt. Canoll.

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents over 53,000 pilots at 31 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit the ALPA website at www.alpa.org or follow us on Twitter @WeAreALPA.

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CONTACT: ALPA Media, 703-481-4440 or Media@alpa.org
- See more at: http://www.alpa.org/news-and-events/news-room/2016-06-30-alpa-welcomes-nauk-rejection#sthash.kQ59uOJB.dpuf

 Airline pilots seek to halt Norwegian Air's flight bid after Brexit

Opponents of Norwegian Air's bid to fly to the United States have new ammunition for their argument: Brexit.

The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), International maintains that because Britain's decision to leave the European Union casts uncertainty on how international air rules will now apply to airlines in the United Kingdom, the Department of Transportation (DOT) should halt Norwegian Air UK's application to gain access to more airports in the U.S. and EU.

The Open Skies agreement allows airlines in the EU to fly to any location in the U.S., and vice versa.

"Significant uncertainty surrounds the timing of the UK's exit from the EU and its effect on air transportation, including how UK airlines that no longer fall under the U.S.-EU air transport agreement will need to seek approval to serve the United States," Tim Canoll, ALPA's president, said in a statement. "With so much in flux following the Brexit vote, the DOT must suspend processing of NAUK's application until we can determine the rules that would apply to its application."

ALPA and other union groups submitted a new filing with the DOT this week, urging the agency to suspend its processing of Norwegian Air UK's application "until the post-exit regulatory structure that will pertain to the grant of operating authorizations to UK air carriers is determined."

Norwegian applied for a foreign air carrier permit for its UK subsidiary in order to conduct scheduled and charter flights to the U.S. from London's Gatwick Airport.

The low-cost air carrier has for years been seeking approval to use airports covered under the U.S. and EU's Open Skies agreement. The company also established a subsidiary, Norwegian Air International, in Ireland - a member of the EU.

Norwegian currently flies to some airports in the U.S. under the banner of its parent company, Norwegian Air Shuttle. But the company says its model for cheaper transatlantic flights requires access to more Open Skies airports, which would provide more route flexibility.

The DOT tentatively approved a permit for the carrier's Ireland-based subsidiary in April after consulting with both the Justice and State departments and finding no basis to reject the application.

The agency's move roiled the aviation industry, union groups and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. Critics argue that Norwegian Air is attempting to skirt more stringent Norwegian labor and tax laws and claim the air carrier is undermining competition by hiring pilots contracted through Asia, where labor costs are lower.

But Norwegian officials have emphasized that the company will not be using any Asian-based cabin crew on transatlantic flights, and says it chose to establish itself in Ireland for access to future traffic rights to and from the EU and to secure better aircraft financing rates.