Press release - 9 February 2011 14:22

Norwegian first with in-flight WiFi on European flights

Norwegian is the first airline to offer high-speed broadband on flights within Europe. The Scandinavian airline launched its new service yesterday.

“Norwegian is proud to be the first airline to offer wireless internet access on board flights in Europe. It is satisfying to be able to give our passengers the opportunity to work, read online newspapers, play games or watch online TV while flying with us. This is a product that no other airline in Europe is currently offering, which gives us a huge competitive advantage,” said Director of IT and Business Development, Hans-Petter Aanby, at Norwegian.

All new aircraft with WiFi
The aircraft have an antenna, which communicates with a satellite, mounted on the fuselage. Inside the aircraft, there are two separate networks, one that is open for passengers and one for pilots and cabin crew that will make their work in the air easier and more efficient.

By summer 2011, 11 aircraft will have internet on board and by the end of the year 21 will be equipped with this technology. By 2012, 40 aircraft will have in-flight WiFi.

All of Norwegians new Boeing 737-800 aircraft will be equipped with this technology. Norwegian's 737-300 aircraft are being phased out continually and by the end of 2012 Norwegian will have a unitary fleet of 737-800s, making one of Europe's newest, most cost-effective and environmentally friendly fleets with an average age of 3 years.

Norwegian has selected the U.S. company Row 44 as the supplier of its WiFi system. The company currently supplies the same technology to Southwest Airlines.

Read more about Row 44 here.

See attached pdfs for more information.

Contacts:
SVP, Corporate Communications, Anne-Sissel Skånvik, phone +47 97 55 43 44
Communications Manager, Lasse Sandaker-Nielsen, phone +47 45 45 60 12

Topics

Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA, commercially branded “Norwegian,” is a public low-cost airline noted on the Oslo Stock Exchange. The company is the second largest airline in Scandinavia, and has a route portfolio that stretches across Europe into North Africa and the Middle East. With competitive prices and customer friendly solutions and service, the company has experienced significant growth over the previous years. With more than 13 million passengers in 2010, Norwegian is the 3rd largest low-cost airline in Europe. Norwegian currently operates 54 aircraft on 238 routes to 95 destinations and employs approximately 2 000 people.

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.