The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is expected to rule on Norwegian Air International’s (NAI) application for a foreign air carrier permit soon.
NAI CEO Bjorn Kjos continued his campaign to attain a permit in a speech last week at the International Aviation Club in Washington, DC.
Kjos’ scheme centers on the “Flags of Convenience” model used in the maritime industry, which would allow NAI to register its planes in Ireland to circumvent Norwegian labor and safety regulations, and hire cockpit and cabin crews from Thailand and other countries with lax labor standards.
“NAI’s plan is a bad deal for airline workers and the traveling public and should be rejected,” said IAM Transportation General Vice President Sito Pantoja. “The United States should be at the forefront of improving global labor standards. Approving NAI’s application would make us complicit in their campaign to abolish workers’ rights.”