Start-Ups Norse Atlantic Airways takes delivery of first aircraft

Norse Atlantic Airways has become the latest operator of the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The Start-Up airline from Norway has successfully taken delivery of its very first aircraft. During a ceremony held at Oslo Airport, the carrier celebrated the arrival of the first 787-9 from Warsaw.

Bjørn Tore Larsen, CEO and founder of Norse Atlantic Airways, commented: “The delivery of our first Dreamliner marks an important milestone for us at Team Norse as it brings us one step closer to the launch of attractive and affordable transatlantic flights.”

The aircraft is leased from Polish company BOC Aviation and was flown straight from the company´s hub at Warsaw, Poland to Oslo, Norway. The lessor will provide Norse Atlantic with six Dreamliner in total. Nine further aircraft will be leased from Dutch company AerCap.

Norse Atlantic plans to operate with a fleet of 12 Boeing 787-9s and three 787-8s. Next deliveries are scheduled to continue until April. All aircraft will initially be parked at Oslo Airport, as Norse Atlantic revealed.

The aircraft will then be used on transatlantic flights. Norse seeks to commence with commercial operations in spring 2022. Then, the airline will connect Oslo to select cities in the United States. This however depends on the COVID-19 situation.

Larsen explained: “We believe that transatlantic travel will resume with full force once the pandemic is behind us. People will want to explore new destinations, visit friends and family and travel for business. Norse will be there to offer attractive and affordable flights on our more environmentally friendly Dreamliners to both the leisure and cost-conscious business traveller.”

Norse wants to operate under a low-cost business model, which allows for low fares to take market shares from competitors. Norwegian Air Shuttle is operating under the same model from Oslo. In connection with attractive aircraft leases, which make sure that the airline stays flexible on payment terms, Norse will be paying on a power by the hour basis at the beginning.