Norwegian subsidiary wins approval for US flights

The US DOT has granted Norwegian Group subsidiary Norwegian Air Norway authority to fly to and from the US. The Department said in an Oct. 10 notice it will grant NAN an exemption allowing it to operate in the country until the airline receives its foreign air carrier permit (FACP), which is subject to approval by US president Donald Trump. NAN has been operating since December 2014 with mostly short-haul routes to and from Scandinavian countries. The airline said in its application for the exemption and FACP that Norwegian Group is implementing a corporate restructuring, in which Norwegian Air Shuttle will become a holding company with little or no operational activities, and NAN will become the Group’s primary airline operating in the US. Norwegian Air UK is expected to continue operating between the US and the UK following the restructuring, according to a person familiar with the matter. The new corporate structure for Norwegian Group would resemble that of IAG Group or Lufthansa Group, both of which contain a number of smaller, regional airlines operating under a holding company with a single air operator’s certificate. That structure makes it easier for carriers to navigate the complex web of traffic rights and bilateral agreements required to operate in multiple European countries.<br/>