Taoiseach Enda Kenny has called on President Barack Obama to intercede with the US Department of Transportation to provide a permit for Norwegian Air International to begin flights to Boston and New York from Cork Airport in Ireland.
Kenny has personally raised the issues with the proposed air links, which would substantially reduce transatlantic air fares, twice with President Obama.
“It is not politics that is holding this back. This is not a political obstruction and obviously now there is a claim for this to go to arbitration,” he told local media.
The European Union has formally sought arbitration claiming that the US is breaching the EU/US Open Skies agreement.
Kenny described the entry of Norwegian to the transatlantic market to have the capacity to do for long haul air travel “what Ryanair did for (European) short haul with enormous opportunities for both sides,” he said.
Regardless, the decision on the Norwegian permit is expected to continue to be delayed until after the US Presidential election.