Wow guys, in this post I wanted to talk about an innovative aviation concept that has just been announced. Okay, so the airline will be based in Norway, but it will also operate from other points in Europe. And it will fly long-distance, especially across the Atlantic. And it works with a low cost model. And it will fly Boeing 787s. Does this sound familiar?
A new Norwegian long-haul airline
Norse Atlantic Airways is a newly announced airline, and it sounds like it’s likely to start:
- The airline was founded by Bjorn Kljos, Bjørn Kise and Bjørn Tore Larsen (these are very Bjorns / Bjørn – it reminds me of the Saudia flight where I had Captain Mohammed, first officer Mohammed and the supervisor Mohammed), who owned 90. % of the airline together; these are veterans in the industry who previously held top positions at Norwegian Air Shuttle and OSM Aviation
- The founders are in talks with landlords to rent 12 former Norwegian Boeing 787s; apparently the leases of nine aircraft have already been secured, while three leases are pending
- The airline plans to use 787s to run trans-Atlantic routes
- In Europe, the airline operates from cities such as London, Oslo and Paris, and in the United States, the airline will operate from cities such as Los Angeles, Miami and New York.
- The airline would start by December 2021 (December is a fantastic time to launch transatlantic leisure flights, right?) 😉
- The airline will work with airlines such as Norwegian to provide feed
- The airline has already raised $ 24 million from shareholders and wants to be listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange eventually
Norse Atlantic Airways will fly former Norwegian 787s
Well then…
At the beginning of 2021, it was announced that Norwegian would halt long-term flights as the airline protected bankruptcy. Norwegian has struggled for years even before the pandemic, and has basically had nine lives already.
The intentions here are therefore quite clear – some investors (including a former Norwegian CEO) with a clear balance sheet and trying to take over where Norwegian has left off when it comes to the long term. There is only one small problem: history has shown that long-cost transatlantic airlines generally do not work.
To honor this idea in general, or perhaps give hope:
- Having an airline like Norse Atlantic Airways would be good for consumers as it would keep airlines in the air and keep rates low.
- The general timeline for the launch of this airline is not terrible, especially if the plan is to start in a year; the airline is likely to get a lot on aircraft and labor, and hopefully there will be a significant recovery within a year, with several competitors rushing out of the bag or falling back during the pandemic.
- The biggest problem with a transatlantic cheap carrier is how seasonal traffic is, as Norwegian can make money in the summer but loses a significant amount the rest of the year; is there any way Norse Atlantic Airways can learn from the mistakes of Norwegian and do a better job with a seasonal route network?
This is going to be an interesting one to watch …
Transatlantic low-cost carriers are ideal for consumers
Bottom line
Norse Atlantic Airways is the latest airline company. The airline essentially plans to take over where Norwegian has left off with its long-distance network – the airline will fly former Norwegian 787s across the Atlantic with a cheap business model.
Only time will tell whether this airline will really take off. My favorite Richard Branson quote definitely comes to mind here: “the fastest way to become a millionaire in the airline industry is to start as a billionaire.”
What do you make of the Norse Atlantic Airways?