Editorial

Grounded but not out

Posted 3/20/19

Before President Trump’s order to ground all Boeing 737 Max 8 jets in the United States, following a tragic crash in Ethiopia, Norwegian Air had already made that determination with its …

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Editorial

Grounded but not out

Posted

Before President Trump’s order to ground all Boeing 737 Max 8 jets in the United States, following a tragic crash in Ethiopia, Norwegian Air had already made that determination with its fleet.

In reality, the airline, which flies in and out of New York Stewart International Airport, had little choice. Most of Europe had already banned the troubled aircraft, which of course meant that a Europe-bound 737 taking off from Stewart would have nowhere to land.

The action sparked fears in the Hudson Valley that this could spell the end of service at the airport that has seen too many airlines come and go. And Norwegian had already begun to curtail its schedule, with announced plans to end service between Newburgh and two cities in the U.K: Belfast, Northern Ireland, and Edinburgh, Scotland.

That elimination of Edinburgh had more to do with Scottish taxes than a lack of interest on this end. It’s a popular destination, and Stewart enjoyed record-breaking passenger numbers in 2018. Norwegian has recently increased service to Dublin and Shannon, Ireland, and is set to resume seasonal service to Bergen, Norway. Scheduled flights in April and May are already sold out.

The airline has made assurances that services will continue with substitute aircraft and has made plans to use the larger Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in its place. That has caused other schedule adjustments, including busing some passengers in from T.F. Green Airport in Providence.

The signs of commitment are encouraging. In the face of scheduling difficulties and an understandable loss in confidence in air travel, it would be easier to throw in the towel. But hopefully the momentum gained last year will continue through what is, thus far, a troubled year.