Norwegian Air Sweden (Stockholm Arlanda) has taken delivery of its first aircraft ahead of its proposed launch later this year. B737-8 SE-RTA (msn 42835) was ferried from Seattle Boeing Field to Stockholm Arlanda on November 20.

A unit of Norwegian (Oslo Gardermoen), Norwegian Air Sweden recently secured its Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) and Operator's Licence (OL) from the Swedish authorities.

"We are pleased to have a Swedish AOC in place," Norwegian CEO Bjorn Kjos said in a statement. "With a stronger foothold in Scandinavia, we can gain access to more traffic rights and launch new routes that have not yet been used. Stockholm Arlanda has the potential to become a major international traffic point for flights between Asia and North America, but it requires more air-friendly policies and competition on an equal footing."

Norwegian Air Sweden will shortly apply for traffic rights, which includes an application to the US Department of Transport (DOT) to fly to the US.