European Commission’s transport chief criticises Norwegian Air delay

The European Commission's transport chief, Henrik Hololei, has criticised the United States for its delay in granting Irish-based Norwegian Air International a licence that would allow it to fly to Boston from Cork.

Norwegian is seeking a foreign airline permit from US authorities but claims by unions and rival airlines that it is using the Republic as a flag of convenience to skirt labour protections have stalled its application for two years.

Speaking in Washington DC, Mr Hololei, head of the commission’s transport directorate, said Norwegian’s plan to offer low-cost transatlantic flights was “precisely” the type of service that the EU-US Open Skies agreement is meant to create.

He also criticised opponents of the plan who have raised safety and regulatory concerns. He noted the Irish Aviation Authority, which will oversee Norwegian, already regulates Ryanair, Europe's biggest airline, and argued that "no one should question its integrity and professionalism".

“If the US today thinks it can cherry pick, then who knows if one day the EU wants to do the same thing?” he asked. “Then we do not have a transatlantic agreement, just a Swiss cheese.”