Norwegian Air, the low cost carrier, was struggling before the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s already been bailed out by the government, but that’s not enough. Now they’re in talks with the government over nationalization.

So now, with global travel depressed, seems like the perfect time to start another Norwegian airline, of course!

One of Norwegian Air’s original investors and Chairman of its Board from 2004 to 2009 will launch a new airline next year. Erik G. Braathen says he’ll “all our experience and knowledge” from Norwegian to build the new airline.

• They’ll operate domestically and intra-Europe
  
• Using 5 aircraft, either Boeing 737-800s or Airbus A320s

What they won’t do, they say, is outsource crew to low cost jurisdictions and outside of Norwegian collective bargaining. According to the airline CEO-to-be, it’s precisely the bad fortunes of aviation that make this an opportune moment to start an airline.

We believe it is the right time to start a new airline. We will be able to lease modern aircraft for a reasonable price, hire top-tier staff, and build a digital company with less complexity in order to lower cost and achieve profitability with fewer airplanes. We will be offering passengers competitive prices and an efficient and easy digital journey from ticket purchase to destination arrival.

We’ll see.