Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Friday
Norwegian buys planes from ailing competitor, the government rules out a VAT cut for energy bills and storm Otto to hit Norway are among the headlines on Friday.
Storm Otto to hit Norway
An orange weather warning has been issued for very strong winds in large parts of Norway on Friday, and parents have been asked to consider whether small children should walk home from school alone.
Gusts of about 35-40 metres per second are expected in the south-westerly region of Sunnhorland. The orange weather warning is in place from 2pm until 9pm. Strong gusts are also expected in the counties of Adger and Telemark.
"Secure all loose objects, avoid traffic in exposed areas, calculate extra time for transport and driving, and assess whether the journey is necessary," meteorologene warn.
The storm could also disrupt travel, cancelling ferries, planes and other transport.
Norwegian to invest in remnants of Flyr
Following the bankruptcy of Flyr, competitor Norwegian has acquired aircraft, staff and spare parts from the ailing airline.
Around 100 staff and six aircraft have joined Norwegian. Six Boeing 737 Max aircraft previously leased by Flyr are now in operation under Norwegian's umbrella. The planes are leased for eleven years at a fixed price and on the same terms as Flyr had.
"We got these planes on very, very attractive terms and do not have to pay for maintenance before the planes go to the workshop," Geir Karlsen, CEO of Norwegian, told Dagens Næringsliv.
SAS has also offered 72 former Flyr cabin crew jobs with the airline.
Nurses at Oslo University Hospital resign in mass protest
Some 14 out of 24 intensive care nurses at the heart department at Oslo University Hospital have resigned in protest. Five nurses have also said they will hand in their notices, Norwegian broadcaster TV 2 reports.
The resignations are due to a fallout with management linked to cutbacks at the hospital. The hospital has previously announced plans to cut some 500 man-years worth of jobs.
"The management has been warned about this for several years but did not believe that the employees were actually going to quit. Now they do," Rolf-Andre Oxholm from the Norwegian Nurses' Association told TV 2.
Norwegian government rules out VAT cuts to energy
Despite a recommendation from the Labour Party's own energy committee to cut VAT on energy bills, the Norwegian government has insisted that it will not discount the tax.
"This government has reduced the taxes on electricity. We did that as soon as we took over. And it is the electricity tax that we believe is the right thing to cut. The VAT system applies to all types of consumption," Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum told Norwegian newswire NTB.
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Storm Otto to hit Norway
An orange weather warning has been issued for very strong winds in large parts of Norway on Friday, and parents have been asked to consider whether small children should walk home from school alone.
Gusts of about 35-40 metres per second are expected in the south-westerly region of Sunnhorland. The orange weather warning is in place from 2pm until 9pm. Strong gusts are also expected in the counties of Adger and Telemark.
"Secure all loose objects, avoid traffic in exposed areas, calculate extra time for transport and driving, and assess whether the journey is necessary," meteorologene warn.
The storm could also disrupt travel, cancelling ferries, planes and other transport.
Norwegian to invest in remnants of Flyr
Following the bankruptcy of Flyr, competitor Norwegian has acquired aircraft, staff and spare parts from the ailing airline.
Around 100 staff and six aircraft have joined Norwegian. Six Boeing 737 Max aircraft previously leased by Flyr are now in operation under Norwegian's umbrella. The planes are leased for eleven years at a fixed price and on the same terms as Flyr had.
"We got these planes on very, very attractive terms and do not have to pay for maintenance before the planes go to the workshop," Geir Karlsen, CEO of Norwegian, told Dagens Næringsliv.
SAS has also offered 72 former Flyr cabin crew jobs with the airline.
Nurses at Oslo University Hospital resign in mass protest
Some 14 out of 24 intensive care nurses at the heart department at Oslo University Hospital have resigned in protest. Five nurses have also said they will hand in their notices, Norwegian broadcaster TV 2 reports.
The resignations are due to a fallout with management linked to cutbacks at the hospital. The hospital has previously announced plans to cut some 500 man-years worth of jobs.
"The management has been warned about this for several years but did not believe that the employees were actually going to quit. Now they do," Rolf-Andre Oxholm from the Norwegian Nurses' Association told TV 2.
Norwegian government rules out VAT cuts to energy
Despite a recommendation from the Labour Party's own energy committee to cut VAT on energy bills, the Norwegian government has insisted that it will not discount the tax.
"This government has reduced the taxes on electricity. We did that as soon as we took over. And it is the electricity tax that we believe is the right thing to cut. The VAT system applies to all types of consumption," Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum told Norwegian newswire NTB.
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