Press release -
Norwegian Group had 1.8 million passengers in December
In December, Norwegian had 1,476,256 passengers, while Widerøe had 293,257 passengers, totalling 1,769,513 for the group. Capacity for Norwegian was up 24 percent, while the load factor was somewhat down from last year. During the year, over 26.4 million passengers travelled with Norwegian and Widerøe.
“We are pleased to close out the year with a solid December performance for the group. We kicked off 2024 with the very successful acquisition of Widerøe and continued with significant capacity growth throughout the year by adding new routes and destinations. I am proud that Norwegian has managed to attract over 2 million new passengers during 2024, demonstrating the continuous improvement and relevance in our product. Over ten percent customer growth for both Norwegian and Widerøe is substantial, and I want to thank all my colleagues for their great work in achieving this,” said Geir Karlsen, CEO of Norwegian.
Norwegian’s capacity (ASK) was 2,491 million seat kilometres, up 24 percent from last year. Actual passenger traffic (RPK) was 2,049 million seat kilometres, increasing 22 percent from December 2023. The load factor was 82.2 percent, down 1.4 percentage points from the same period last year. Unit revenue was somewhat down compared to last year, predominately due to the 10 percent increase in sector length. Norwegian operated an average of 73 aircraft during December.
An operationally challenging month
December had several operational challenges for Norwegian, mainly due to weather and operational issues at airports throughout Europe and the Nordics. The regularity, meaning share of scheduled flights taking place, was 98.8 percent, down 0.7 percentage points. Punctuality, meaning share of flights departing within 15 minutes of scheduled time, saw a small increase of 0.3 percentage points, and ended at 70.7 percent.
“Operationally December has, to a large extent due to winter weather conditions, been a challenging month. We will continue to work hard to make sure our customers get to their destinations on time. While our punctuality performance this year could be better, I am pleased that Norwegian is once again named among the top five most punctual airlines in Europe in 2024,” said Geir Karlsen.
In December, the Oslo District Court ruled fully in Norwegian’s favour, stating that Norwegian was not obliged to fulfil its EU ETS obligations during the reconstruction in 2020. In addition, the court ruled that the penalty of an amount close to NOK 400 million was unlawful and that Norwegian is entitled to a full refund of this penalty plus interest. The court ruling is not yet final.
For Widerøe, the capacity (ASK) in December was 152 million seat kilometres, up 2 percent from last year. The actual passenger traffic (RPK) was 111 million seat kilometres, while the load factor was 73.3 percent, up 2.6 percentage points from December last year. Widerøe set a new record in 2024 for the number of passengers flown at 3.8 million passengers.
A separate press release on Widerøe’s traffic figures can be found at the Widerøe media centre. (In Norwegian only)
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About Norwegian
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.
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.
