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Bobby Moore announced as Norwegian’s latest British tail fin hero

Press release -

Bobby Moore announced as Norwegian’s latest British tail fin hero

  • As part of the Bobby Moore Fund’s Football Shirt Friday, English footballer announced as the latest tail fin hero to appear on Norwegian’s aircraft

Norwegian has announced that iconic English footballer Bobby Moore OBE will become its latest British tail fin hero to appear on the airline’s brand new aircraft.

The announcement comes on Football Shirt Friday – the fundraising initiative that helps fund life-saving research into bowel cancer. Returning for the fifth year, people are encouraged to wear their favourite football shirt and donate £2 to the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK.

Norwegian has always honoured iconic figures on the tails of its aircraft, featuring personalities who symbolise the spirit of Norwegian through innovation, leadership and inspiring others. To reflect Norwegian’s rapid growth in the UK, where it now flies 5 million UK passengers each year to 50 global destinations, the airline has begun a series of British tail fin heroes. Booby Moore will become Norwegian’s fourth British hero, following children’s author Roald Dahl, pioneering pilot Amy Johnson and aviation maverick Sir Freddie Laker.

Born in Barking, Essex in 1941, Bobby Moore went on to a 25 year career in professional football which established him as one of the world’s greatest footballers of all time and a British national icon. In 1966 Moore captained England to victory in the World Cup with his performances in the 1966 and 1970 World Cups cementing his reputation as an inspirational leader and “the best defender in the history of the game”, according to many.

Just as iconic as Moore lifting the World Cup, are images of him first cleaning his muddy hands before shaking hands with the Queen to collect the trophy. It was one of many acts that underlined Moore’s reputation as a class act and true gentleman, with world-famous footballer Pele saying upon Moore’s death, The world has lost one of its greatest football players and an honourable gentleman”.

Following his death in 1993, the Bobby Moore Fund was established to raise funds for and public awareness of bowel cancer. Initiatives like Football Shirt Friday have helped raise over £23 million to-date - Norwegian’s UK staff are also being encouraged to wear their favourite football shirts today in honour of the airline’s new tail fin hero.

Norwegian Chief Commercial Officer Thomas Ramdahl said: “As Norwegian continues its rapid UK growth, our ‘tail fin heroes’ offer us a perfect chance to pay tribute to some of the greatest Britons of all time. Bobby Moore has inspired generations of people for being an iconic footballer and leader on the pitch and a true gentleman off the pitch, so we are honoured to have him appear on our aircraft.”

Bobby’s widow Stephanie Moore MBE, said: “This is such a wonderful way to remember Bobby and to mark Football Shirt Friday. We want to see the whole nation wear their team’s colours with pride today and believe that together we can and will beat bowel cancer. We have made enormous progress in the last 50 years but sadly bowel cancer still kills 44 people in the UK every day. By joining forces, raising funds and channelling that unbreakable spirit of a football fan to support the Bobby Moore Fund, we can all help bring forward the day when bowel cancer is cured.”

The Bobby Moore tail fin will take to the skies later this year and adorn a Norwegian Boeing 737-800 plane. Norwegian operates from five UK airports (London Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and Belfast) carrying over 5 million yearly UK passengers to 50 global destinations, including the UK’s only direct low-cost flights to the US.

- Ends –

NOTES TO EDITORS

About the Bobby Moore Fund

  • The Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK raises vital funds for research into bowel cancer and increases public awareness of the disease
  • The Fund was set up by Stephanie Moore MBE in memory of her husband, footballer Bobby Moore, after his death from the disease in 1993, at just 51
  • The Bobby Moore Fund is the official charity partner of the FA

Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/officialbobbymoorefund

About Cancer Research UK

  • Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research.
  • Cancer Research UK’s pioneering work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has helped save millions of lives.
  • Cancer Research UK receives no government funding for its life-saving research. Every step it makes towards beating cancer relies on every donation made.
  • Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of the progress that has already seen survival in the UK double in the last 40 years.
  • Today, 2 in 4 people survive their cancer for at least 10 years. Cancer Research UK’s ambition is to accelerate progress so that by 2034, 3 in 4 people will survive their cancer for at least 10 years.
  • Cancer Research UK supports research into all aspects of cancer through the work of over 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses.
  • Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.
  • For further information about Cancer Research UK's work or to find out how to support the charity, please call 0300 123 1022 or visit www.cancerresearchuk.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

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Norwegian in the UK:

  • Norwegian carries 5.2 million UK passengers each year from London Gatwick, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Manchester Airports to 50 destinations worldwide
  • Norwegian is the third largest airline at London Gatwick, with 4.6 million yearly passengers, and with more than 800 UK-based pilots and cabin crew
  • In 2014, Norwegian introduced the UK’s first low-cost, long haul flights to the U.S. - the airline now flies to 7 U.S destinations with fares from just £139 one way
  • Norwegian is the only airline to offer free inflight WiFi on UK flights to more than 30 European destinations
  • The airline has one of the youngest aircraft fleets in the world with an average age of 3.6 years, including next-generation Boeing 787 Dreamliners and Boeing 737-800s
  • Norwegian has been voted ‘Europe’s best low-cost carrier’ by passengers for four consecutive years at SkyTrax World Airline Awards from 2013-2016, along with being awarded the ‘World's best low-cost long-haul airline’ in both 2015 and 2016

Contacts

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Press Office details

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Marketing/sponsorhip requests: marketing@norwegian.com

Marketing/sponsorhip requests: marketing@norwegian.com

Press contact Marketing/sponsorship requests: marketing@norwegian.com

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Norwegian.com

The Norwegian group is a leading Nordic aviation company, headquartered at Fornebu outside Oslo, Norway. The company has over 8,200 employees and owns two of the prominent airlines in the Nordics: Norwegian Air Shuttle and Widerøe’s Flyveselskap. Widerøe was acquired by Norwegian in 2024, aiming to facilitate seamless air travel across the two airline’s networks.

Norwegian Air Shuttle, the largest Norwegian airline with around 4,700 employees, operates an extensive route network connecting Nordic countries to key European destinations. In 2023, Norwegian carried over 20 million passengers and maintained a fleet of 87 Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

Widerøe’s Flyveselskap, Norway’s oldest airline, is Scandinavia’s largest regional carrier. The airline has more than 3,500 employees. Mainly operating the short-runway airports in rural Norway, Widerøe operates several state contract routes (PSO routes) in addition to its own commercial network. In 2023, the airline had 3.3 million passengers and a fleet of 48 aircraft, including 45 Bombardier Dash 8’s and three Embraer E190-E2's. Widerøe Ground Handling provides ground handling services at 41 Norwegian airports.

The Norwegian group has sustainability as a key priority and has committed to significantly reducing carbon emissions from its operations. Among numerous initiatives, the most noteworthy is the investment in production and use of fossil-free aviation fuel (SAF). Norwegian strives to become the sustainable choice for its passengers, actively contributing to the transformation of the aviation industry.

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