Norwegian Air plans Boston-to-Cork route for 2016

Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA plans to begin four or five weekly flights between Boston and the second-biggest city in Ireland next May.

The plans announced Monday are contingent on the company's Irish subsidiary, Norwegian Air International, receiving approval from the US Department of Transportation. If the plans go through, the Boston-to-Cork route would be Norwegian's sixth international route from Logan.

"Once we have the DOT's approval, it will unlock the door for these exciting new routes, which will in turn create more competition, more choice and better fares for business and leisure passengers on both sides of the Atlantic," said Bjørn Kjos, the airline's chief executive, in a statement.

Currently, almost all Boston-to-Ireland service is offered by Aer Lingus, which runs two flights per day to both Dublin and Shannon, according to FlightStats.com. Last year, the carrier flew 154,000 passengers from Boston to Dublin and 45,000 from Boston to Shannon, federal data show.

Although few flyers would recognize its name just a few months ago, Norwegian has laid plans to fly more international routes from Boston than any other airline. The carrier said in August that it would also begin flights from Boston to Oslo and Copenhagen next May. But its Irish subsidiary has proven controversial, with critics saying it's meant to skirt labor laws.