Norwegian to enter low-fare fray in Poland

Norwegian has decided to invade an already-crowded Polish low-cost market and intends to hire Polish flight crew for the operation.

The LCC announced yesterday that it will open a base in Warsaw and operate flights to three Spanish cities, France and its Oslo hub. It will base two aircraft at Warsaw, where it will compete with LOT Polish Airlines subsidiary Centralwings, SkyEurope Airlines and Wizz Air, among others.

"Norwegian is already highly competitive in relation to cost levels and other budget players. Setting up shop in Poland will reduce our costs further," CEO Bjorn Kjos stated. The airline said it has had an "enormous" response to its search for Polish pilots and cabin staff.

It did not release a launch date but said tickets will go on sale today. It will start with services to the following cities: Alicante thrice-weekly, Girona-Costa Brava thrice-weekly, Malaga four-times-weekly, Nice four-times-weekly and Oslo daily.

"The European labor market is developing rapidly," Kjos said. "More and more people are moving between different job markets, and the Polish market is of great interest in this respect."