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Norwegian CEO Bjørn Kjos, Helga Bollmann Leknes, Norwegian Group’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Uffe Jesper Faerch Jensen (SEPLA), Martin Stork (SEPLA), Adam Mark Smith (SEPLA) and Bjørn Erik Barman-Jenssen, CEO of Norwegian Air Resources
Norwegian CEO Bjørn Kjos, Helga Bollmann Leknes, Norwegian Group’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Uffe Jesper Faerch Jensen (SEPLA), Martin Stork (SEPLA), Adam Mark Smith (SEPLA) and Bjørn Erik Barman-Jenssen, CEO of Norwegian Air Resources

Press release -

Norwegian and Spanish pilot union SEPLA sign collective agreement

Norwegian and Spanish pilot union SEPLA today signed a comprehensive collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The CBA will be valid for two years and represents an important step forward in one of the company’s most important markets. Earlier this week, Norwegian also signed a CBA for its long-haul crews based in Italy.

Spain is Norwegian’s second-largest market in passenger volume and the largest in number of staff.

Helga Bollmann Leknes, Norwegian Group’s Chief Human Resources Officer, said:

“This agreement is very important for Norwegian as it lays the foundation for a continued fruitful relationship between our staff and management, which is crucial to the Group’s future growth. We look forward to a long and constructive relationship with SEPLA”.

Martin Stork, Chairman of the SEPLA Norwegian Company Council said:

“We are very pleased that Norwegian recognizes its pilots as a valuable, unique asset. We consider the crews to be an important resource for gaining a competitive advantage in the highly competitive airline industry. We are very pleased that Norwegian has gone the extra mile to invest in such an asset. This will allow both parties to continue to develop our relationship. For SEPLA and our members, this represents a milestone in our relationship with the company and we are confident about our shared future “.

Bjørn Erik Barman-Jenssen, Norwegian Air Resources' CEO, said:

“The agreement signed today will usher further growth from solid bases, providing Norwegian with predictability and stability, amid an ever-changing environment in one of Europe’s most competitive aviation markets; it will also consolidate improvements in the working conditions of our pilots based in Spain, and will offer them clear career paths within Norwegian”.

SEPLA’s members will now vote on the agreement.

With 33 aircraft based in Spain this coming summer, and more operating bases than in all the Nordic countries put together, Spain is a key market for Norwegian.

This is the second CBA Norwegian signs in Spain, following the cabin crew collective back in June 2017 Elsewhere in Southern Europe, Norwegian has also signed CBAs with Italy’s short- and long-haul pilots and cabin crew The Italian long-haul CBA was signed earlier this week.

Norwegian keeps eight operating bases in Spain, all of them year-round: Alicante, Barcelona (two bases: one short- and one long-haul), Gran Canaria, Madrid, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, and Tenerife South. The company employs 2,190 people in Spain. Norwegian carried 8.46m passengers in Spain in 2017, a 24 per cent increase on the previous year.

Media Contact:
Alfons Claver, Head of Communications Spain and Italy, +34 697 787 193 

Topics


Norwegian in the UK:

  • Norwegian carries 5.8 million UK passengers each year from London Gatwick, Edinburgh and Manchester Airports to 50 destinations worldwide
  • Norwegian is the third largest airline at London Gatwick, with 4.6 million yearly passengers, and with more than 1,000 UK-based pilots and cabin crew
  • In 2014, Norwegian introduced the UK’s first low-cost, long haul flights to the U.S. - the airline now flies to 11 U.S destinations, Buenos Aires and Singapore
  • In 2017, Norwegian also launched affordable transatlantic flights from Edinburgh, Belfast, Dublin, Cork and Shannon to the US East Coast, using the brand new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft
  • Norwegian is the only airline to offer free inflight WiFi on UK flights to more than 30 European destinations
  • The airline has one of the youngest aircraft fleets in the world with an average age of 3.6 years, including next-generation Boeing 787 Dreamliners, Boeing 737 MAX and Boeing 737-800s
  • Norwegian has been voted ‘Europe’s best low-cost carrier’ by passengers for five consecutive years at SkyTrax World Airline Awards from 2013-2017, along with being awarded the ‘World's best low-cost long-haul airline’ in 2015, 2016 and 2017
  • Norwegian Reward is the airline's free to join award-winning loyalty programme offering members CashPoints and Rewards that reduce the cost of Norwegian flights

Contacts

Press Office details

Press Office details

Press contact
Marketing/sponsorhip requests: marketing@norwegian.com

Marketing/sponsorhip requests: marketing@norwegian.com

Press contact Marketing/sponsorship requests: marketing@norwegian.com

Norwegian.com

The Norwegian group is a leading Nordic aviation company, headquartered at Fornebu outside Oslo, Norway. The company has over 8,200 employees and owns two of the prominent airlines in the Nordics: Norwegian Air Shuttle and Widerøe’s Flyveselskap. Widerøe was acquired by Norwegian in 2024, aiming to facilitate seamless air travel across the two airline’s networks.

Norwegian Air Shuttle, the largest Norwegian airline with around 4,700 employees, operates an extensive route network connecting Nordic countries to key European destinations. In 2023, Norwegian carried over 20 million passengers and maintained a fleet of 87 Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

Widerøe’s Flyveselskap, Norway’s oldest airline, is Scandinavia’s largest regional carrier. The airline has more than 3,500 employees. Mainly operating the short-runway airports in rural Norway, Widerøe operates several state contract routes (PSO routes) in addition to its own commercial network. In 2023, the airline had 3.3 million passengers and a fleet of 48 aircraft, including 45 Bombardier Dash 8’s and three Embraer E190-E2's. Widerøe Ground Handling provides ground handling services at 41 Norwegian airports.

The Norwegian group has sustainability as a key priority and has committed to significantly reducing carbon emissions from its operations. Among numerous initiatives, the most noteworthy is the investment in production and use of fossil-free aviation fuel (SAF). Norwegian strives to become the sustainable choice for its passengers, actively contributing to the transformation of the aviation industry.

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