Low-cost transatlantic start-up Norse Atlantic Airways said it is “on track” for take-off in the first half of 2022.
Unveiling the carrier’s Viking-inspired livery on Tuesday (August 10), chief executive and founder Bjørn Tore Larsen said the original start date had been Q1 2022 or even December 2021.
But he said travel restrictions are not being lifted as quickly for long-haul as they are for short-haul, so the airline is now targeting a launch late in the first quarter or early second quarter of 2022.
“We have a solid cash position so we can afford to wait it out,” he said.
“Our plans are on track and operations will commence when travel restrictions are lifted and demand for transatlantic travel is back.”
The airline will start selling tickets three months before the first flights and it has begun recruiting staff in Norway, London and the US.
The target market will be families taking holidays in the US, as well as students and visiting friends and relatives (VFR) traffic.
Larsen expects all 15 of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners will be flying between Europe and the US by next summer.
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Headquartered in Arendal, Norway, the carrier will serve London, Paris, Oslo, New York and Florida.
Larsen said the livery and logo were inspired by the Vikings who used to navigate the Atlantic 1,000 years ago, and the aircraft would be named after national parks.
The aircraft will offer premium and economy cabins and Norse is in talks with other airlines about feeder agreements to offer connections to other flights.
When asked how Norse will make a success of the low-cost transatlantic market, where others have failed, he said the Norse model is different as it is only focused on long-haul and is “very lean”.
Norse is seeking to fill the void left by Norwegian Air which withdrewing from North Atlantic flying last year amid the pandemic.
The start-up carrier is majority-owned by Larsen, co-founder of air crew staffing company OSM Aviation which supplied crew to Norwegian and in which Norwegian Air had a 50% stake.