Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with&nbsp;New Jersey Monthly&nbsp;magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

Controversial low-fare airline Norwegian Air Shuttle on Wednesday announced it has signed agreements to lease three new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners for its long-haul operation, in an interim move to shore up its fleet while it awaits U.S. Department of Transportation approval to fly more 787s to the U.S. under an Irish license. It expects to take delivery of two of the 787-9s in 2016 and the third in 2017. A Norwegian spokesperson wouldn’t disclose the identity of the latest lessor, but said the airline would reveal more later in the week, once it signs a firm order.


Norwegian now flies five 787-8s and holds earlier firm orders for another three of the smallest Dreamliners and six 787-9s; the lease deal announced Wednesday raises to 17 the number of Dreamliners slated to enter its long-haul fleet by 2018.


The carrier recently suspended talks with Boeing to order another twenty 787-9s because of the delay in U.S. DOT approvals. It now flies to the U.S. under temporary DOT approval on a Norwegian license, but wants to take advantage of an EU-U.S. open skies agreement by flying under an air operator certificate issued by Ireland. However, it has faced political barriers erected in part by U.S. labor unions and competing airlines, which claim that the airline wants to circumvent Norwegian labor laws by using its Irish certificate while flying with Thai crew from its Oslo base. The plan, according to its U.S. opponents, amounts to a so-called flag of convenience scheme prohibited by the International Civil Aviation Organization.



 
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Norwegian To Lease More 787-9s 

Norwegian Air Shuttle has signed for three more Boeing 787-9s while it awaits approval from the U.S. DOT to fly under an Irish license to the U.S.

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