Norwegian (Oslo Gardermoen) has opened a longhaul pilots base at Paris CDG less than a year after the launch of transatlantic flights to the United States.

The budget carrier said in a statement that twenty-six pilots are now based out of the Parisian gateway although this number is expected to grow in due course.

"Opening a base at Paris Charles-de-Gaulle allows better optimization of our long-haul operations, and will improve the lives of many pilots by allowing them to live closer to their base. We also hope to attract even more pilots wishing to bring their skills to France," Captain Joost Smits, Head of the Paris-Charles de Gaulle base, said.

Norwegian currently serves Orlando International, Fort Lauderdale International, New York JFK, and Los Angeles International from Paris.

According to the ch-aviation capacity module, Norwegian is currently the sixth largest operator by weekly seating capacity in the Paris-US market with 2,037 seats/week (2.02%). Air France currently leads the pack with 49,602 seats/week (49.2%) followed by Delta Air Lines with 21,686 (21.51%), American Airlines with 13,020 (12.92%), United Airlines with 8,288, and XL Airways France with 3,437 seats/week.