Press release -
Norwegian Group had 2.5 million passengers in May
In May, Norwegian had 2,178,172 passengers, while Widerøe had 349,345 passengers, bringing the group total to 2,527,517. The load factor for Norwegian increased by 1.5 percentage points in May compared to last year. Norwegian is looking forward to a very busy summer.
“We are pleased to see May coming in with good traffic figures, including increased load factor and passenger numbers compared with last year. I am also pleased with another month of excellent on-time performance and regularity. Widerøe also performed very well in May,” said Geir Karlsen, CEO of Norwegian.
Norwegian’s capacity (ASK) in May was 3,560 million seat kilometres, up 3 percent from last year. Actual passenger traffic (RPK) for Norwegian was 2,975 million seat kilometres, up 5 percent. The load factor was 83.6 percent, up 1.5 percentage points. Norwegian operated an average of 86 aircraft during May.
Widerøe’s capacity (ASK) in May was 193 million seat kilometres, up 8 percent from last year. The actual passenger traffic (RPK) for Widerøe was 132 million seat kilometres, while the load factor was 68.6 percent, down 0.8 percentage points.
Norwegian and Widerøe’s punctuality, defined as share of flights departing within 15 minutes of scheduled time, was a strong 88.4 percent and 92.9 percent, respectively. Regularity, measured by the share of scheduled flights taking place, was 99.7 percent for Norwegian and 97.8 percent for Widerøe.
Strong booking momentum going into summer
June marks the beginning of the peak season for Norwegian, which comes with a significant capacity ramp up compared to previous months.
“Norwegian is well-prepared for a very good summer for our customers, offering flights to over 120 destinations across Europe and beyond. The booking momentum for the summer months remains strong with approximately 300,000 more seats sold than during the same period last year. Those who have yet to book their summer holidays are encouraged to do so soon, as demand for the most popular destinations is high,” said Geir Karlsen.
In May, Norwegian Reward won four awards at the internationally recognised Freddie Awards in Chicago, including the category “Program of the year” for Europe and Africa. The Freddie Awards gathered over four million votes from frequent travellers during the voting period.
A separate press release on Widerøe’s traffic figures is available 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.
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 2024, Norwegian carried 22,6 million passengers and maintained a fleet of 86 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 2024, the airline had 3.8 million passengers and a fleet of 49 aircraft, including 46 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.
