ARGENTINA: Norwegian Air Argentina Acquires Air Operator’s Certificate

The low-fare airline Norwegian Air Argentina (NAA) received the Air Services Operator Certificate (AOC) from the National Government.

The document recognizes the company as a commercial airline, and certifies that it complies with safety and quality standards to carry out aeronautical operations and activities, in accordance with the law of the Argentine Republic.

Bjørn Kjos, CEO of Norwegian, said: “We are honored to receive the authorization by the Argentine Government and we thank the Minister of Transportation Guillermo Dietrich and his team for the trust in Norwegian.

“This is great news that shows that we are getting closer to the start of our operations in Argentina with our safe, efficient and friendly service”.

Ole Christian Melhus, CEO of Norwegian Air Argentina, said: “We received the AOC with great enthusiasm and honor and it is a major milestone for our journey in Argentina.

We also thank the director of the National Administration of Civil Aviation, Tomás Insausti and all his team for their professionalism and dedication.

Now we will focus on starting to offer safe flights and affordable fares to millions of passengers soon, as well as job creation and contributing to the stimulation of the local economy”.


Tourism Observer

Aeromexico And Delta In Joint Agreement,Norwegian Air To Launch Subsidiary Airline In Argentina

Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico began a new joint cooperation agreement covering trans-border flights between the United States and Mexico.

The carriers first announced the partnership in December 2016 and recently announced the completion of regulatory steps required by the U.S. Department of Transportation and Mexico’s Federal Economic Competition Commission.

The two airlines will work together to enhance the customer experience on the ground and in the air by investing in airport facilities, boarding gates and lounges.

The joint venture allows the SkyTeam alliance carriers to coordinate fares and schedules, as well as jointly market and sell tickets in the Mexico–United States market.

The carriers will be able to implement joint sales and marketing initiatives in both countries.

Delta and Aeromexico will work together to enhance the customer experience on the ground and in the air by investing in airport facilities, boarding gates and lounges,Delta spokesperson said.

The two companies will also be able to implement joint sales and marketing initiatives in both countries.

Under the agreement, Delta provides service in the United States through connecting hubs in Atlanta (ATL), Detroit (DTW), Los Angeles (LAX), Minneapolis St. Paul (MSP), New York, Salt Lake City (SLC) and Seattle (SEA), while Aeromexico offers customers access to Mexico through hubs in Mexico City (MEX), Monterrey (MTY) and Guadalajara (GDL).

But, Norwegian is set to launch a subsidiary airline in Argentina with 10 Boeing 737 narrow-body jets by the end of the year.

The group established Norwegian Air Argentina in January 2017 with plans to operate domestic and international flights from a Buenos Aires base, pending government approval.

Norwegian’s chief executive officer said the airline would fly to Argentina (EZE) from its Gatwick (LGW) hub, linking the South American country with European cities like Paris (CDG), Barcelona (BCN), Oslo (OSL), Copenhagen (CPH) and Stockholm (ARN).

Argentina is an interesting market with great potential that fits Norwegian’s global strategy very well, combining affordable domestic and international flights, said Christian Melhus, chief executive officer, Norwegian Air Argentina.

We have been very well received by Argentinian authorities and look forward to a fruitful relationship going forward.

Norwegian applied for an Argentinian Air Operator’s Certificate and, if granted, the airline will announce and begin selling routes from Argentina by the end of 2017.

British Airways is the only current carrier to fly direct to Argentina with service between Heathrow (LHR) and Buenos Aires.

The airline plans to expand capacity to the United States next winter by allocating some of its short-haul operating slots at Gatwick to intercontinental operations, and will also start flights to smaller airports in North America using 737 Max aircraft this summer.