Press release - 7 January 2010 07:07

10.8 million passengers flew with Norwegian in 2009

Norwegian experienced strong passenger growth last year and flew 18 per cent more passengers than the previous year. In total, 63 new routes were established; 30 in Denmark, 18 in Sweden and 15 new routes in Norway.

In December, Norwegian transported 815 562 passengers. This is an increase of 163 667 passengers or a 25 percent increase from the same month last year.

– The traffic figures for 2009 demonstrate that more passengers prefer to travel with Norwegian, said Bjørn Kjos, Chief Executive Officer of Norwegian.

– With a total of 70 new Boeing 737-800 aircraft by 2014, Norwegian is set to have one of the most environmentally friendly fleets in Europe. December was another milestone in the company’s history when the number of passenger kilometers produced by new 737-800s exceeded the number of passenger kilometers produced by the company’s fleet of Boeing 737-300s which are currently being phased out. The new 737-800 aircraft also provide our passengers with a more comfortable flying experience, with more leg room and less noise, said Kjos.

The yield is estimated at 0.55 NOK for December, down 17 per cent compared to the same month in 2008. The development partially reflects the removal of fuel surcharges that covered last year’s fuel price, a significantly adjusted route portfolio, and the introduction of new aircraft with higher capacity and lower unit cost.

The cabin factor for the Group was 76 percent in December, up 2 percentage points from last year. The company operated 99.4 percent of the planned flights in December, whereof 61.8 percent departed on schedule. The on time performance for 2009 was 81 per cent.

– December was an extraordinary month when it comes to punctuality. The month was characterized by adverse weather conditions featuring extreme cold and heavy snow along the Norwegian coast and on continental Europe. This combined with many travelers before and during Christmas made staffing levels at the airports, and in particular at Oslo Airport, insufficient to cope with the high traffic volume. We have initiated a number of immediate initiatives to correct the situation, said Kjos.

For financial details, see attached pdf.

Contacts:
SVP, Corporate Communications, Anne-Sissel Skånvik, phone +47 48 99 44 40
CFO, Frode Foss, phone +47 91 63 16 45

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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 Traffic Figures December 2009

The total number of passengers flown in December 2009 was 815,562 compared to 651,895 last year, an increase of 163,667 passengers (25 %). Compared to the same period last year: - Total passenger traffic (RPK) increased by 24 % - Total capacity (ASK) increased by 21 % - The load factor was 76 %, up 2 p.p.

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.