Norwegian carrier Norse Atlantic has secured its UK air operator's certificate (AOC) and operating license (OL). It means the UK has a new airline and that Norse Atlantic UK can expand from the country in the same way that its predecessor Norwegian did. The UK is set to become Norse's leading country of operation, and its new AOC will be vital.

Norse Atlantic UK

The UK Civil Aviation Authority has granted Norse Atlantic its UK AOC and OL, meaning that a new airline is born. It comes three months after it said that its UK unit would operate eight B787s and have seven routes, although this is unlikely to be finalized. The first flight is expected towards the end of the year.

Speaking of the issuance, Norse Atlantic's founder and CEO, Bjorn Larsen, said that:

"The UK will be a vital part of our network going forward and the granting of an AOC and Operating License by the UK CAA... will provide further choice and affordable prices to consumers and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic. Norse... now holds two AOCs, one in Norway and another in the UK, providing greater flexibility and opportunities for the company to expand."

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One UK route for now

Norse Atlantic inaugurated UK flights on August 12th – capturing some peak demand – routing Oslo to London Gatwick to New York JFK. I was on the first flight.

Using its Norwegian AOC, it continues to begin and end in Norway, adding extra costs and complexity. The granting of the UK AOC means the route will be much more straightforward and less expensive to operate. It can also use Gatwick slots currently used for Oslo for other services, while B787s can be deployed on routes more befitting the aircraft.

Unserved and underserved

Inevitably, airlines say they're targeting unserved or underserved markets. One that's underserved has insufficient flights and seat or freight capacity for the demand. The long-haul airline with its two-class, 338-seat B787-9s is no exception, saying that:

"Norse is keen to operate between London Gatwick and a number of US destinations... particularly serving routes that are currently not served by nonstop flights or lack sufficient capacity."

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Seven routes?

Norse, which carried almost 100,000 passengers to the end of August, submitted the following routes to the US Department of Transportation for its UK subsidiary – but it doesn't mean they'll all happen.

It stated that JFK, Fort Lauderdale, and Orlando would start first, followed by the others. Currently, Norse serves JFK, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, and Orlando from other European airports (and JFK from Gatwick).

Will Rockford really begin? Or will it be like Stewart and Ontario, California, where JFK and Los Angeles were supposedly selected for freight reasons?

What do you make of it all? Let us know in the comments.