Press release - 29 September 2016 08:24

Roald Dahl set to take flight this weekend as Norwegian’s first ever British ‘tail fin hero’

It has been a case of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ meets ‘Norwegian and the aircraft factory’ in an Oslo Airport hangar this week as Roald Dahl’s portrait has been applied to a brand new Boeing 737-800 aircraft, becoming Norwegian’s first ever British ‘tail-fin hero’.

With the author’s portrait now applied to the aircraft, the ‘World’s No.1 storyteller’ will take to the skies this weekend as Norwegian’s brand new aircraft takes off on its inaugural flight from Oslo on Saturday.

Norwegian already has more than 80 ‘tail fin heroes’ using iconic personalities who symbolise the spirit of Norwegian by pushing boundaries, challenging the norm and inspiring others. To reflect Norwegian’s rapid growth in the UK, where it now flies 4 million UK passengers each year to more than 40 destinations, the airline has selected Roald Dahl as its first British tail fin hero.

Born in Cardiff in 1916 and of Norwegian descent, Roald Dahl perfectly captures the essence of Norwegian’s tailfin heroes. Roald Dahl himself has an aviation background, joining the RAF at the age of 23 where he served as a fighter-pilot. After being injured in WW2, Dahl began writing for adults before turning his hand to children’s stories and has since became known as the ‘World’s No.1 storyteller’. This year marks 100 years since Roald Dahl’s birth and Norwegian’s ‘tail fin hero’ activity comes as part of the year-round global celebrations for Roald Dahl 100.

Thomas Ramdahl, Chief Commercial Officer said: "Selecting our first ever British tail fin hero is not only a mark of our huge plans for UK expansion, it is also a chance to recognise a truly heroic British figure. Roald Dahl has inspired generations of adults and children and as the world celebrates his centenary, it is a great honour to have this world-famous author adorn our aircraft.”

Bernie Hall, Brand Marketing Manager, RDLE: “Roald Dahl is widely regarded as the world’s number one storyteller. Many elements of his universally-loved stories are said to have roots in the Norwegian tales that he heard from his family and from visits to Norway as a child. To be recognised for his connection to Norway in this centenary year, and for him to be made the first British tailfin for Norwegian, is something we are extremely proud of.”

The new aircraft featuring Roald Dahl is Norwegian’s 13th new Boeing 737-800 this year. In total, Norwegian will take delivery of 17 Boeing 737-800 aircraft and four 787-9 Dreamliners in 2016. The delivery of new aircraft and phasing out of older planes means that Norwegian have one of the youngest and greenest fleets in Europe with an average age of just 3.6 years.

Topics

Norwegian in the UK:

Norwegian first launched UK flights in 2003 and now operates from London Gatwick, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Manchester Airports to more than 40 destinations worldwide
Norwegian is the third largest airline at London Gatwick, with 3.9 million yearly passengers, and with more than 700 pilots, cabin crew and staff working from its Gatwick base
In 2014, Norwegian introduced the UK’s first low-cost, long haul flights to the U.S. - the airline now flies to 8 U.S destinations with fares from just £135 one way
Norwegian is the only airline to offer free inflight WiFi on UK flights to more than 30 European destinations
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

For journalists only

Press contact Norwegian Press Office press@norwegian.com +47 815 11 816

Marketing/sponsorhip requests: marketing@norwegian.com

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

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.

​Roald Dahl set to take flight this weekend as Norwegian’s first ever British ‘tail fin hero’