The Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority has issued an air operator’s certificate (AOC) to start-up carrier Norse Atlantic Airways.
Bjørn Tore Larsen, Norse chief executive and founder, said: “We are now one important step closer to launching our attractive and affordable flights between Europe and the US in spring next year.”
An AOC is the approval granted by a national aviation authority to an aircraft operator to allow it to use aircraft for commercial purposes.
This requires the operator to have personnel, assets and systems in place to ensure the safety of its employees and the general public.
Norse said its first flights will depart from Oslo to selected cities in the US next spring, with a fleet of 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
Its destinations will include New York, Florida, Paris and London.
In September, the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) entered into a new agreement with Norse, which the unions said “will deliver hundreds of jobs in the UK”.