News - 5 March 2013 11:47

Norwegian will use Airbus A340 as a replacement aircraft on long-haul routes

Norwegian has signed an agreement to lease two Airbus A340-300 long-haul aircraft for flights to New York and Bangkok if the Dreamliner is delayed.

Norwegian has signed an agreement to lease two Airbus A340-300 aircraft to ensure that passengers can fly to and from New York and Bangkok if the Dreamliner is delayed. Both aircraft will be used until Norwegian takes delivery of the Dreamliner. The agreement is a MOU (Memorandum of Understanding), which is binding on both parties. It will be a so-called "wet lease"; lease of aircraft with crew.

Both aircraft are owned by the Portuguese leasing company HiFly, which took over the aircraft this winter. The aircraft has previously been flown by Singapore Airlines and Emirates. The aircraft are subject to European safety legislation and supervision is conducted by European aviation authorities. Several European airlines lease aircraft to companies that need extra capacity. HiFly has had a number of major European airlines on its customer list.

As Norwegian has previously announced, customers who have booked flights with the Dreamliner can move their journey forward or get a refund. However, very few have taken advantage of this offer. All passengers who have booked tickets will receive more information about their flights directly from Norwegian via normal channels as soon as more details have been clarified.

More information on the aircraft can be found on HiFly’s home page.

More information about Airbus A340-300 is available on Airbus’ website.

Topics

Contacts

For journalists only

Press contact Norwegian Press Office press@norwegian.com +47 815 11 816

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.