Norwegian launches Irish recruitment drive for pilots
SCANDINAVIAN airline Norwegian has confirmed it’s to open a new pilot base in Dublin later this year to support its growing international operations – and is holding its first recruitment roadshow today.
The base will initially include about 40 pilots, but Norwegian is also exploring options for further pilot and cabin crew positions at the base next summer.
Norwegian’s Ireland-based unit – Norwegian Air International (NAI) – already has a head office at Dublin Airport, headed by Tore Jenssen, which employs more than 80 people.
Norwegian said that it has already started recruiting for Boeing 737 pilots. It’s holding the first of a number of pilot road shows at the Clayton Hotel at Dublin Airport this afternoon.
Norwegian launched flights between Ireland and the United States during the summer.
It serves secondary airports in the United States, flying from Dublin and Shannon to Stewart International Airport in upstate New York, and to Providence’s TF Green Airport to serve Boston and the surrounding region. Norwegian also flies from Cork to Providence.
“With a number of transatlantic routes recently launched from Ireland and Belfast, and plans for continued expansion in future, opening a new base at Dublin Airport is an important step to support our growing international operations,” said Bjorn Erik Barman-Jenssen, the CEO of Norwegian Air Resources.
He said that there has been “lots of interest” from pilots in joining the airline, and that the Dublin base will offer “exciting opportunities”.
Norwegian launched its services from Ireland to the United States with Boeing 737-800 jets, but started taking delivery during the summer of 737 Max aircraft. Two senior Irish pilots – a former Ryanair and an exAer Lingus pilot – flew the first Ireland-registered Norwegian Max jet delivered from Seattle in June.
Norwegian Air Shuttle chief executive Bjorn Kjos said the Max jet would “pave the way for a totally new concept” in air travel.
Norwegian will have 144 aircraft in its fleet by the end of this year, including 21 Dreamliners. It has 110 Max aircraft on order.
For its Dublin base, Norwegian is looking for pilots who hold a Boeing 737 operational certificate to serve flights from Dublin, Cork, Shannon and Belfast. Tore Jenssen told the Irish
Independent in June that Norwegian will see how ticket sales on its Dublin-US routes perform before making any alterations to the aircraft type it uses on the route. He said the carrier could look at using a Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the services if there was sufficient demand.