The review came in light of the global grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which was slated to operate all six of Norwegian’s routes between the Irish cities of Dublin, Cork and Shannon, and the US and Canada.
Commenting on the decision, Norwegian’s SVP Long-Haul Commercial, Matthew Wood, said: “As the airline moves from growth to profitability, we have conducted a comprehensive review of our transatlantic operations between Ireland and North America and concluded that these routes are no longer commercially viable.”
As a result of the 737 MAX being taken out of service, in March Norwegian was forced to hire replacement aircraft to operate its routes between Ireland and North America. But amid continued uncertainty regarding the 737 MAX’s return to service, the airline said the current solution is unsustainable.
Norwegian is assisting any customers affected by rerouting them onto other Norwegian services. Customers will also be offered a full refund if they no longer wish to travel.
The airline said it will continue to offer scheduled services from Dublin to the Scandinavian cities of Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen as normal.
Norwegian began its transatlantic expansion from Ireland to East Coast US cities in 2017. It recently launched direct flights between London and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and also flies direct to Argentine capital, Buenos Aires.
From London Gatwick, the airline’s long-haul network serves US destinations including Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Fort Lauderdale / Miami, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Oakland / San Francisco, Orlando, Seattle and Tampa.
