Scandinavian airline Norwegian Air Shuttle is seeking the go-ahead from regulators to establish its long-haul subsidiary in the Republic.
The airline, known as Norwegian, was reported earlier this year to have been considering a number of locations, including the Republic, for a proposed long-haul subsidiary to get around costly regulations in its homeland.
Spokesman Lassek Sandaker-Nielsen confirmed yesterday it is in talks about the possibility of obtaining an Irish Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) for the new business. However, Mr Sandaker-Nielsen insisted that “this is not the same as opening an operational base”.
The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), which is responsible for granting these permits, did not comment, but it is understood that it is processing an application from the Norwegian carrier.
If an AOC application is successful, the company has to base its head office in the Republic.
Norwegian announced this year that it was launching new routes to Thailand and the US and is due to begin these services later this month.
The airline has been seeking to register the long-haul business outside Norway to circumvent regulations that apply in the Scandinavian country in a bid to cut costs.
These included restrictions that prevent airlines from hiring cabin crews from countries where wages are lower than in Norway.
