Bjorn Kjos entered the aviation big leagues with a bang. In 2012, the chief executive of Norwegian Air — a former fighter pilot — ordered 222 of the most modern aircraft Boeing and Airbus had to offer. He was intent on building a low-cost transatlantic airline. By using fuel- efficient aircraft, such as Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, he could undercut rivals and launch long-haul flights across the Atlantic.
It was an audacious move. At the time, airlines were suffering amid high fuel costs and weak passenger growth. American Airlines was in Chapter 11 bankruptcy and Franco-Dutch Air France-KLM was busy shrinking its fleet.
Yet Kjos’s Norwegian Air was buying planes with a total list price of 127bn Norwegian krone. “The idea is to act a little