Norse Atlantic in talks to cooperate with local airlines on passengers

Norse Atlantic, a recently formed Norwegian airline that aims to begin flights between Europe and the US next year, is in talks about cooperation with local carriers on both sides of the Atlantic, it said on Tuesday. Taking on customers from airlines that do not offer transatlantic routes could boost Norse’s passenger numbers, founder and CEO Bjoern Tore Larsen told a news conference. He declined to name the companies Norse is in talks with or to specify what sort of cooperation might be achieved. Norse listed on Oslo’s stock market this year and seeks to fill the void left by Norwegian Air’s exit from transatlantic routes using 15 leased Boeing 787 Dreamliner plans. “Based on the current situation, we anticipate that all our 15 Dreamliners will be flying customers between Europe and the U.S. next summer,” Larsen said. “We do have to see travel restrictions being lifted before we launch however,” Larsen added. The airline plans to fly between US cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Miami to European destinations including London, Paris and Oslo. It has said it will seek to expand based on demand and profitability and could eventually fly to Asia. It plans to recruit 350 to 400 pilots and have around 1,600 employees by the time its full fleet is in the air, Larsen said. <br/>