Time Running out for Norwegian to secure its permanent Irish AOC

  Norwegian Long Haul  could be forced to suspend its operations from December 23 should it fail to secure an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA). According to Norwegian daily, Dagens Næringsliv, with a dispensation issued to the airline by Norway's own civil aviation authority (Luftfartstilsynet) to operate its long haul flights under its Norwegian AOC set to expire on December 23, Norwegian Long Haul urgently needs its Irish AOC to continue operations. To compound matters, Luftfartstilsynet has warned that it will not extend Norwegian's dispensation past its December expiry date while competitor SAS Scandinavian Airlines (SK, Copenhagen Kastrup ) says it will object to any application made for an extension. The airline had sought an Irish AOC for its B787-8 fleet owing to its associated cost reductions and flexible regulatory terms regarding crew nationalities. However, the IAA has reportedly twice rejected an application for an AOC on the grounds that the airline "planned to use the same Norwegian key-personnel for its Irish operations" and had supplied insufficient information pertaining to its flight manuals. As part of measures taken to satisfy the Irish demands, Norwegian's operations director Asgeir Nyseth would now be moved to a new office in Dublin to serve as the airline's “accountable manager”.