– Variations of insecurity – E24

Norwegian announced after the end of the trading day that it is seeking bankruptcy protection for its subsidiaries in Ireland.

– I think these are good moves, says Norwegian driver Alf Wilhelm Hansen.

He is a union delegate for the Norwegian pilots in Scandinavia and one of the 94 pilots still working for the company.

He believes the decision comes as a natural follow-up after the government said no to $ 1 billion in support for Norwegian last week.

– This may be the opportunity they have to put things in their place a bit, says the pilot.

René-Charles Gustavsen of the Norwegian Cabin Association also believes this shows that the company’s leaders are looking to take care of Norwegian as an airline and raise capital to enable it to survive.

– I think some employees now know that the company is fighting even harder and harder, says Gustavsen.

– Variations of insecurity

– We have made the decision to apply for protection to reorganize under Irish law to secure Norwegian’s future in a way that benefits our employees, customers and investors, CEO Jacob Schram said in Norwegian’s press release at 4:40 PM.

– Do you feel that your workplace is safer after the news?

– There are variations of insecurity, says Hansen.

He praises Norwegian CFO Geir Karlsen as one of the reasons he believes things will go well with the company.

– Geir Karlsen has led the ship with an iron fist and integrity, and I think we are on the wings because of him. I think we can go on, Hansen says.

– Do you see the message as a promise to try to keep all employees in the company?

– I see it as a promise that they will use all the means they have to secure Norwegian as an airline and get jobs in Norway, says the Norwegian pilot.

No guarantees

During a press conference Wednesday afternoon, the CEO said the company “works hard to protect jobs” but could not give guarantees that employees will keep their jobs.

– The aviation industry has always been a fairly unpredictable workplace, says Gustavsen.

He notes that several large airlines have disappeared from the market over time.

– We do not give up without a fight, and we must trust that the leaders allow us to continue flying under the Norwegian logo. I have faith, says Gustavsen.

Empty airplanes and airports

After the government refused to support Norwegian, the company laid off 1,600 employees. Norwegian had more than 11,000 employees working before the crisis, but now has about 600 employees left who have not been laid off.

At the same time, the company also parked 15 of 21 planes.

– We are 94 pilots currently flying, and there is a strange feeling with empty planes, empty airports and empty planes, says Hansen.

– But people are incredibly motivated and happy in their workplace and do their best to maintain their workplace.

He notes that Norwegian employees showed up in front of the Storting no later than today, while Norwegian was the subject of Question Time. They campaigned for more support for aviation, but the government has already refused to give Norwegian an amount of between four and five billion crowns.

– It does not relieve the government of responsibility

Hansen believes the government must step in to provide support to Norway, even though the company took steps on Wednesday to secure the operation itself.

The pilot believes that opening the bankruptcy of the subsidiaries today reinforces the belief that the company will succeed.

– But it does not exempt the government from assuming responsibilities, we do not live long without support. There are extreme costs to sitting on an airline when there are no passengers, Hansen says.

Gustavsen points out that without the government’s support, Wednesday’s measures are not enough to get out of the crisis with the company’s debt.

– I am incredibly disappointed in politicians. But this is a signal to politicians that we are acting, says the leader of the Norwegian Cabin Association.