The Norwegian Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs says that it is now in the process of amending legislation to allow for the employment of foreign nationals onboard locally registered carriers and aircraft.

Whereas carriers such as Norwegian (Oslo Gardermoen) were required to man their longhaul services with Norwegian nationals governed by Norwegian labour laws, the proposed changes will allow for crews from the UK, the US, and Asia to serve on-board.

As such, following a three month-long consultative period, Labour Minister Anniken Hauglie said that as no worthy legal counter-argument had been presented, her department would now proceed with the amendment. The move is seen as critical to keeping Norway's aviation market, as well as Norwegian operators, competitive in an increasingly globalized economy.

The Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications estimates that the use of cabin-crew from Less Developed Countries, particularly in Asia, will allow local carriers to save approximately 35-40% in wage costs. For a crew of two pilots and five flight attendants, this would translate into annual savings of roughly NOK1.5 million (USD181,000) per crew.