The US Department of Transportation has issued an order proposing to grant a foreign air carrier permit to Norwegian Air International.

When made final, the permit will allow Norwegian to officially operations to the US, including the first-ever service between Boston and Cork in Ireland.

Norwegian Group chief executive officer, Bjørn Kjos says: “A final approval, based on the Open Skies Agreement between the US and EU, will be win-win for consumers and the economy on both sides of the Atlantic.

“It will allow Norwegian to expand our US operations. Our continued presence in the US will create thousands of jobs and generate tens of millions of dollars of economic activity for the Group’s US destinations.”

Norwegian has a firm order of 149 Boeing 737s and 787s valued at more than $18.5 billion at current list prices.

Norwegian’s bellyhold cargo arm is ramping up its freight services and in November last year it also signed a two-year framework agreement with Royal Mail’s Gatwick Air Mail Unit (GAMU).

This deal will see the carrier support international shipments between the UK, Scandinavia and the US.

Norwegian has increased capacity this year and in 2016 will operate daily flights from Gatwick Airport to New York and flights to Los Angeles increasing to four times a week from Spring 2016.

From May 2016, it will also launch Gatwick-Boston flights with further long-haul routes from the UK also in the pipeline.

Norwegian’s long-haul destinations are operated by Boeing 787 Dreamliners with each aircraft able to carry up to 15 tonnes of cargo.

The carrier offers freight capacity to destinations in Scandinavia and European destinations in addition to Bangkok, New York, Orlando, Oakland, Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale. Norwegian’s GSA is Wexco Cargo.