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Father and son pilot Norwegian Gatwick-New York service together

A father and son have flown a Norwegian Boeing 787 Dreamliner together from Gatwick to New York.

Captain Sven-Bertil Johannson (61) and his son, First Officer Erik Johannson (27), piloted the aircraft carrying more than 320 passengers last week.

They were on the same pilot training course when they both joined Norwegian together two years ago.

Sven-Bertil was a member of Sweden’s sailing team at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games and began his flying career as a fighter pilot in the Swedish Air Force in 1978. He has now amassed nearly 23,000 flight hours.

Erik Johannson was born in 1991 and was inspired to fly by his father while sitting on the jump seat at a young age. He began flying at 15 and had professional flight training in Sweden.

He joined Norwegian almost two years ago and currently has around 3,000 hours.

Sven-Bertil said: “It’s an absolute joy to fly the 787 Dreamliner with my son to one of our favourite destinations.

“We joined Norwegian together on the same training course, so our special Father’s Day flight was also an opportunity to check whether Erik’s flying skills have developed to be as good as mine.”

Erik said: “My dad inspired me to start flying from as far back as I can remember.

“I didn’t feel any pressure flying next to my father as we’re both professionals, but it was very exciting and a dream come true to fly the Dreamliner with my dad.”

Europe’s third largest low-cost airline has more than 700 pilots based at Gatwick and is recruiting experienced pilots.

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