Norwegian Airlines To End Providence-To-Ireland Nonstop Route

PROVIDENCE, RI — Norwegian Airlines is grounding its low-cost service from Providence's T.F. Green Airport to Ireland amid ongoing troubles with its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. A Norwegian spokesman said in a statement Tuesday that the airline has be using leased aircraft to make the transatlantic routes, but that the stopgap is "unsustainable" given the uncertainty surrounding the Boeing 737 MAX.

In March, Norwegian implemented a back-up plan after the Boeing 737 MAX suspension to continue routes from New York Stewart International and T.F. Green, as well as a new route from Hamilton/Toronto to Dublin. While nonstop service to Cork and Shannon ended in March, passengers were rerouted to Dublin out of Providence.

The final flight from Providence to Dublin will depart on Sept. 14 and arrive in Dublin in Sept. 15. Norwegian said it will no longer operate any substitute aircraft for the 737 MAX.

"As the airline moves from growth to profitability, we have conducted a comprehensive review of our transatlantic operations between North America and Ireland and concluded that these routes are no longer commercially viable considering the circumstances," said Matthew Wood, Norwegian Senior Vice President. "Compounded by the global grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, and the continued uncertainty of its return to service, this has led us to make the difficult decision to discontinue all six routes from U.S. and Canada to Dublin, Cork and Shannon."

Customers booked on affected flights have been contacted and offered the option of either being rerouted onto other Norwegian flights or a full refund. Customers from the U.S. can travel to Dublin via Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm.