EU urges US regulators to allow Norwegian Air flights from Ireland

The EU executive urged US regulators Wednesday to allow Norwegian Air Shuttle to fly to the US from Ireland, warning it may escalate the matter after 2 years of deadlock. The carrier wants to expand its long-haul operations to the US but has run into opposition from unions and some US airlines who say Norwegian would undermine wages and working standards. The EC has previously said that the delay constitutes a breach of the Open Skies air traffic agreement between the EU and the US. "I hope that actions will rapidly be taken to ensure compliance with the EU-US Air Transport Agreement," Violeta Bulc, EU transport commissioner, said. "The EU is seriously considering all available options to swiftly solve the issue." That could mean submitting an arbitration request to resolve the dispute. <br/>