Dara Murphy meets ambassador in lift-off effort for Cork-US flights

The minister for european affairs is due to meet the US ambassador to the EU in Brussels today, as part of intense diplomatic efforts to secure the first transatlantic flights from Cork this summer.

The minister, Dara Murphy, said he would stress to Anthony Gardner, America’s highest-ranking diplomat in the EU, the need for the principles of fair trade and commerce to be upheld, as the US department of transportation (DoT) continues assessing an application from Norwegian Air International (NAI), a subsidiary of low-cost giant Norwegian, for a foreign-carrier permit.

NAI says despite an unprecedented two-year delay assessing its application, it is still committed to launching its Cork-to-Boston service in May, and a Cork-to-New York service next year.