“Pilots with Singaporean contracts, based in Bangkok (Thailand) flying for an Irish company with long-haul routes across the Atlantic, branding itself as being “Norwegian” – is that the new ‘European model’ that Norwegian Air International is trying to establish?,” asks Nico Voorbach, President of the European Cockpit Association. “We welcome any new player, which creates jobs and prosperity for the industry. But for us, European pilots, this is an opaque setup which corrupts the European idea of an open market, embedded in Europe’s social model, and spirit of fair competition. The proposed setup of NAI is designed so as to tilt the playing field in its favour with respect to other transatlantic carriers. The one thing we do agree upon with NAI is that their model is indeed “innovative” – in the sense that it offers creative ways to circumvent European and national regulations and disregard fundamental labour rights.”