Upstart airline Norse to lease 9 Boeing Dreamliners from AerCap
OSLO, March 29 (Reuters) - Norse Atlantic Airways, a long-haul budget carrier recently formed in Norway, has agreed to lease nine Boeing Dreamliner jets from Irish lessor AerCap Holdings, the two companies said on Monday.
First deliveries will take place ahead of the airline's maiden flight, scheduled for December 2021, and the order will be completed no later than the end of the first quarter of 2022, Norse said in a statement.
The global airlines industry has experienced heavy losses as the coronavirus pandemic discouraged flying, leaving a glut of used airplanes available for those willing to start new carriers.
The leasing agreement covers six Boeing 787-9 aircraft for a period of about 12 years and three Boeing 787-8 aircraft for around eight years, at "attractive rates and payment terms", Norse said.
The company was set up by airline industry veterans, including founder and former chief executive of Norwegian Air , Bjoern Kjos, aiming to crack the long-haul discount market.
Norse has met with resistance in the United States where a prominent member of Congress called on the government to deny the carrier a permit to fly. (Reporting by Nora Buli; Editing by Peter Cooney)
