Norse Atlantic Airways

airline	Norse Atlantic Airways
fleet size	12 (including subsidiary)
destinations	14
iata	N0
icao	NBT
callsign	LONGSHIP
aoc	NO.AOC.093
subsidiaries	Norse Atlantic UK
founded	February 2021
commenced	June 14, 2022
headquarters	Arendal, Norway
key people	• Bjørn Tore Larsen (Founder and chairman) • Eivind Roald (CEO and president)
bases	London–Gatwick New York–JFK Oslo Paris–Charles de Gaulle
revenue	US$ 439.4 million (2023)‡R1R‡
net income	US$-168.6 million (2023)‡R1R‡
website	www.flynorse.com

Norse Atlantic Airways AS is a Norwegian low-cost, long-haul airline headquartered in Arendal, Norway. Founded in February 2021, the airline operates a fleet of Boeing 787 aircraft between Europe, North America, Africa and Asia. Its inaugural flight took place on 14 June 2022 from Oslo Airport, Gardermoen to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.

History

Establishment

Norse Atlantic Airways was founded in February 2021[2] by Bjørn Tore Larsen, with Bjørn Kise and Bjørn Kjos holding minority stakes.[3][4]

Expansion

In November 2022, Norse Atlantic announced the addition of both Paris Charles de Gaulle and Rome Fiumicino as destinations to launch in March and June 2023 respectively.[32][33] On 14 February 2023, the airline announced the launch of flights operated by its British subsidiary Norse Atlantic UK to begin in May 2023, with services between London Gatwick and Orlando beginning on 25 May 2023, and Fort Lauderdale on 26 May 2023,[34] however the subsidiary launched in advance of these dates on 26 March 2023, taking over the operation of Norse Atlantic's route between London Gatwick and New York JFK.[35] On 3 May 2023, the airline announced its first services in Asia and the Caribbean, with services between London Gatwick and Barbados, Kingston, and Montego Bay to launch in October 2023, and services between Oslo and Bangkok to begin in November 2023,[36] however the services to the Caribbean were delayed until December 2023, with the planned Kingston service ultimately cancelled.[37][38] On 21 December 2023, the airline announced that it would expand operations to Greece, with services between New York JFK and Athens to begin in May 2024. On 28 March 2024, the airline announced that it would expand services between London Gatwick and Las Vegas to begin in September 2024. On 18 October 2024, the airline announced a new service between Rome Fiumicino and Los Angeles from 22 May 2025.[39]

In early 2025, the airline implemented layoffs mainly at its headquarters as part of a restructuring aimed at reducing costs and aligning with a new business model focused on ACMI and charter flights.[40] Simultaneously, the airline relocated key administrative and operational functions to a new center in Riga, Latvia.[41] In April 2025, the airline announced widespread cuts to its routes to the United States due to severely decreasing passenger traffic, consisting of frequency cuts to various routes, and with services from Athens, Berlin and Paris to New York cut seasonally.[42] In May 2025, the airline announced a new route between Athens and Los Angeles from 3 June 2025,[43][44] notably the first nonstop service between Athens and the west coast of the United States.[45]

Corporate affairs

Management

Bjørn Tore Larsen is the founder and chairman of the board of Norse Atlantic Airways.[46] He was its first CEO, having previously served as chairman of OSM Aviation.[11] Charles Duncan was the company's president for a term in 2023, with prior experience at Continental Airlines, United Airlines, WestJet, and Swoop.[47] He now serves as executive advisor.[48]

In November 2025 Eivind Roald was appointed President and CEO, he previously worked as chief commercial officer with SAS.[46]

Organizational structure

Norse Atlantic is headquartered in Arendal, Norway, and is wholly owned by parent company Norse Atlantic ASA.[49] At its establishment during early 2021, the airline was 63% owned by CEO Bjørn Tore Larsen and affiliates, 15% owned by Bjørn Kjos, and 12% by Bjørn Kise.[4] Following the parent company's listing on the Oslo Stock Exchange, Bjørn Tore Larsen remained the majority shareholder with a 12.4% stake, followed by institutional investors such as Delphi Nordic (6.7%), DNB SMB (6.3%), and Skagen Vekst (5.9%) by January 2022. By May 2023, the airline was 19.9% owned by an affiliate of CEO Bjørn Tore Larsen.[50]

Norse Atlantic also established Norse Atlantic UK as a British subsidiary on 10 May 2021,[51] with the company receiving a British AOC and operating licence on 28 September 2022.[52]

Trends

For 2022, the airline reported losses of 1.27 billion Norwegian kroner (US$123 million).[54] The company raised US$14.2 million from a new share issue in April 2023.[55] In its first year, the airline carried over 500,000 passengers.[56][57][58] In Q2 of the financial year 2023, the airline achieved a positive EBITDAR for the first time and a load factor of 82% and 85% in June and July.[59] In the following quarter (Q3 2023), the company made its first quarterly net profit of US$1.6 million.[60]

Branding

Norse Atlantic's corporate logo is inspired by the Oseberg Ship, with the airline's associated livery and branding inspired by the longships used by the Vikings to cross the North Atlantic.[13] The airline's branding was pitched and designed by Markus Lock.[61][62] Its aircraft are named after national parks in countries served by the airline,[14] such as Raet, Everglades, Dartmoor, and Yellowstone National Park.[63]

Norse Atlantic Airways

History

Establishment

Launch of operations

Expansion

Corporate affairs

Management

Organizational structure

Trends

Branding

Destinations

Interline agreements

Fleet

Current fleet

Fleet development

Service concept

Criticism

See also

External links

References