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Norwegian Wet Leases
Norwegian has always prided itself on operating a young, fuel-efficient fleet of aircraft.
However, there are signs this week that Rolls-Royce engine issues for Boeing 787 Dreamliners are not going away for airlines.
Data from Flightradar and Norwegian’s website indicates that it has been forced to wet lease aircraft from a number of third parties to cover its long-haul schedule at London Gatwick. These include:
Flight DI7151/2 London Gatwick – Chicago O’Hare (leased Wamos Air Airbus A330 from Wednesday 1 May)
Flight DI7171/2 London Gatwick – Denver (leased Wamos Air Airbus A330 from Tuesday 30 April)
Flight DI7013/4 London Gatwick – New York JFK (leased Airbus A330 from Friday 3 May)
Flight DI7043/4 London Gatwick – Miami International (leased Privilege Style Boeing 777-200 from Tuesday 30 April)
Flight DI7057/8 London Gatwick – Orlando (leased Hi Fly Airbus A340 from Tuesday 30 April)
On this occasion Norwegian does not appear to be giving passengers a choice of rebooking on to alternative flights.
Heathrow – Charleston Returns Next Summer
BA launched its inaugural route from London Heathrow to Charleston a couple of weeks ago, a relatively rare occurrence of a low frequency seasonal long-haul route at Heathrow.
It will be some weeks before we ascertain how the route is performing in terms of load factors. However, based on current schedules, the route is due to return next summer, operating from an earlier start date of 29 March 2020, again on Sundays and Thursdays.
In case you missed it:
BA opens new Club lounge at New York JFK Terminal 7. (London Air Travel)
Also of note this week:
In Canada, large parts of New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec are hit by flooding. (CBC)
The Mayor Of Los Angeles announces a “Green New Deal” with the aim of substantially reducing the amount of driving in Los Angeles, with a target of half of all journeys being made by means other than a car by 2035. Given LA’s huge dependence on the car and prospective transport projects barely scratching the surface, this is going to be a huge task. (Curbed LA)
The New York Subway L line begins its regular shut downs at night and weekends for repair work. (Metropolitan Transit Authority)
Also in New York, the New York Times looks back at the original Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan, demolished in the 1960s and replaced by the nightmare that is Penn station. (New York Times)
