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Norse Atlantic Airways bolsters senior management team

Start-up transatlantic airline Norse Atlantic Airways has announced three new appointments to its senior management team.

Andrew Hodges has joined the board as chief commercial officer having held senior roles at easyJet, British Airways and most recently Norwegian Air.

He will be joined by Adrian Keating on December 1, who will take up the role of vice-president of sales, marketing and distribution.

Keating is currently commercial director UK, Ireland & GSA markets for Air Transat. He has previously worked for BA, easyJet and Etihad.

Completing the line-up is Kamal Lad, who has joined the low-cost venture as vice-president of network and revenue management. Lad has more than two decades of experience in network development and revenue management at airlines such as easyJet, Finnair, Etihad and Norwegian.

Norse Atlantic Airways founder and chief executive, Bjørn Tore Larsen, said: “I am very pleased to have Andrew Hodges on board as our chief commercial officer. Andy brings with him decades of commercial, strategic and leadership experience from international aviation.

“With his positive mindset and entrepreneurial attitude, Andy will play a key role for Norse as we build our ‘people first’ airline, create hundreds of new jobs in the aviation industry and launch our affordable transatlantic flights with more environmentally friendly Boeing 787 Dreamliners.”

Hodges said: “I am thrilled to join the Norse team at this monumental time for international aviation. Being a part of building a brand-new long-haul airline that from next summer will offer affordable flights between Europe and the US from scratch is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“I believe that the combination of more environmental Boeing 787 Dreamliners, great value for money and direct flights between popular destinations on both sides of the Atlantic will offer the cost and eco-conscious traveller something different. I look forward to joining this great team and contribute to building a sustainable airline.”

Commenting on Keating’s appointment, Larsen said: “Standing out from the competition and creating customer demand for our flights not only requires a good value proposition, it also requires building awareness, preference, and brand, not least in the digital space. That’s why I am very pleased that Adrian Keating will join Team Norse as VP sales, marketing and distribution.

“Adrian has extensive airline commercial experience across sales, marketing  and distribution disciplines from carriers such as British Airways, easyJet, Etihad and Air Transat. One of his key responsibilities will include building an efficient omni-channel sales, marketing, and distribution strategy to attract customers in all our markets.”

Keating said of his appointment: “I’m delighted to be joining the team at Norse Atlantic. We are at a unique point in the aviation and travel industry and I believe there is no better time to launch an airline on the trans-Atlantic market, focusing on profitable routes and ensuring consumers have affordable travel as we move out of the pandemic.

“We will distribute our content widely and the travel trade will be an important sales channel for us as we move forward. I’m looking forward to working with the trade on the new and exciting airline serving the USA from the UK and you will see and lots of us in the future. I can’t wait to get started on December 1.”

Norse Atlantic Airways was founded in March 2021, promising “affordable fares on long-haul flights, primarily between Europe and the US”. It has a fleet of 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners that will serve destinations including New York, Florida, Los Angeles, Paris, London, and Oslo. The first flights are expected to take off in late first quarter or early second quarter of 2022.

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