Pilots union, the US AIR Line Pilots Association, has launched an advertising campaign against Norwegian Air Shuttle’s attempts to fly into the US from Europe. The pilots object to the airline’s strategy of employing Thailand-based crews through a Singaporean pilot supply company from a new base in Dublin, Ireland.
Although Norwegian currently flies between Oslo and New York's JFK Airport under a temporary permit issued by the government in Norway, it is still awaiting the decision of the US Department of Transportation for a permanent permit as a "foreign air carrier of Ireland".
ALPA claims that Norwegian is using Dublin to evade Norway's strict labour laws and its collective bargaining requirements. By registering in Ireland, Norwegian will be able to outsource its crew to Asia. Norwegian however maintains that it has moved its long-haul business to access future air traffic rights between the EU and Asia, Africa, and South America, and because Ireland plans to fully adopt the 2001 Cape Town Treaty.
The Pilots Association has drawn a parallel between the risk Norwegian poses and what's happened to the U.S. maritime industry, which allows a vessel to be registered in a country different from its ownership and operate under the laws of the country of registry – called a “flag of convenience”.