Cork to New York route still under consideration by Norwegian

Norwegian Air International is still considering whether it will begin flying from Cork to New York following the launch of services to Providence Rhode Island earlier this year.

The airline originally indicated that it would consider services to New York from the airport when it first announced plans to begin flying from the Republic to the US.

However, Bjorn Kjos, chief executive of its parent group, Norwegian Air Shuttle, suggested earlier this year that Cork's runway may be too short for journeys to New York.

The airline is considering the New York route after it began using newly-launched Boeing aircraft on the Providence route recently, but it is likely to be some time before the carrier establishes if it is possible.

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“We will continue to assess the possibility of future new routes once we learn more about the operational capabilities of our brand new aircraft but our immediate focus at Cork is on the airport’s first ever transatlantic routes to Boston-Providence,” a spokesman said.

The length of Cork Airport’s runway, 2,133m, means Norwegian cannot fill the Boeing 737 Max aircraft it uses on the Providence route, to ensure the aircraft can take off.

However, because New York is further south, and thus a longer journey, when he raised the issue in April, Mr Kjos said that it may not be possible to complete it from Cork. He noted that this would depend on the fuel needed to reach New York. He explained that the airline would not know for sure until it began flying the new craft, is it was one of the first carriers to put the 737 Max into commercial service.

Since July, Norwegian Air International has been flying from Belfast, Cork, Dublin and Shannon to airports in the northeast US with access to Boston and New York.