Norse Atlantic Lands in Fort Lauderdale (+Photos)

FORT LAUDERDALE - On Monday, Norse Atlantic Airways (N0), the brand new Norwegian low-cost airline, completed its maiden flight from Fort Lauderdale International Airport (FFL) to Oslo (OSL), Norway.

After a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the gate, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, aptly named Everglades, taxied through a water cannon salute to Runway 10L and departed as flight N022 on the 8-hour 31-minute flight to Oslo, Norway.

During the ceremony, Norse Founder and CEO Bjorn Tore Larsen commented that this was “just the beginning” and it is expected that services from Oslo, London, Berlin, and Paris will begin crossing the Atlantic to New York, Orlando, Los Angeles, and Fort Lauderdale over the coming months.

The Florida Connection

Larson added that he hoped Florida would not only be a destination for European travelers, but future Americans would also look to Norse to provide transportation for their own journeys to Europe.

He was also very keen to confirm that N0 is an entirely new airline with no connection to Norwegian Air Shuttle, which, due to many reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic, ended service on many of the routes now being taken up by the new carrier.

After welcoming Norse to Florida, Mark Gale CEO/Director of Aviation at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport said that this flight alone is expected to add $48M to the local, South Florida area economy and welcomed the prospect of additional Norse flights into his airport.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony ended the celebrations in the terminal and was completed by Michael Udine, Broward County Mayor, and Mr. Larsen.

A Cutthroat Market

Norse has begun operations just in time for the busy summer travel season and is expecting to begin operations between Berlin, New York, Los Angeles, and further destinations.

However, the long-haul, low-cost market has been known to be particularly difficult to break into and will require careful and calculated growth by N0 to maintain sustainable operations.

As the airline continues to grow and begin operations from more destinations, its ability to be agile and adaptable in the tough market will become clearer.

Story and Photos by Keith Draycott/Airways