Press release - 4 April 2019 07:01

Norwegian reports passenger growth and better punctuality in March

Norwegian carried close to three million passengers in March, an increase of five percent compared to the same month previous year. The figures are not directly comparable with the same month previous year due to the “Easter effect”.

A total of 2,961,840 passengers chose to fly with Norwegian in March; 145,676 more passengers than the same period last year. The total traffic growth (RPK) increased by nine percent, while the capacity growth (ASK) increased by 11 percent. The load factor was 85.4 percent, down 1.3 percentage points. Easter will always affect the figures positively. Last year, Easter was in March, which means that the revenue per available seat-kilometre (RASK) in March was lower compared to last year.

Norwegian operated 97.4 percent of the scheduled flights in March. Even if the company’s Boeing 737 MAX aircraft were taken out of production, the passenger impact was limited. The airline combined flights and offered passengers alternative departures. In March, 80.8 percent of Norwegian’s flights departed on time.

“Despite the fact that our Boeing 737 MAX aircraft were taken out of production this month, the regularity is satisfactory, and the punctuality is up 8.5 percentage points. Our dedicated colleagues here at Norwegian have been working day and night to find solutions for our customers. Those affected by the changes have shown great understanding of a situation that is beyond Norwegian’s control and I would like to thank them for that,” said CEO of Norwegian, Bjørn Kjos.

“We have had some productive meetings with Boeing where we have discussed how we can manoeuvre through the difficulties the MAX situation is causing Norwegian,” Kjos added.

Norwegian took delivery of one brand new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in March.

Please find more information in the attached traffic report.

Topics

Norwegian in the UK and Ireland:

Norwegian carries almost 6 million UK passengers each year from London Gatwick, Edinburgh and Manchester Airports to 30 destinations worldwide
Norwegian is the third largest airline at London Gatwick, with 4.6 million yearly passengers, and with more than 1,000 UK-based pilots and cabin crew
In 2014, Norwegian introduced the UK’s first low-cost, long haul flights to the U.S. - the airline now flies to 12 U.S destinations, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro from London Gatwick
In 2017, Norwegian also launched affordable transatlantic flights from Edinburgh, Dublin, Cork and Shannon to the US East Coast, using the brand new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft
Norwegian is the only airline to offer free inflight WiFi on UK flights to more than 30 European destinations
The airline has one of the youngest aircraft fleets in the world with an average age of 3.8 years, including next-generation Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Boeing 737 MAX and Boeing 737-800s
Norwegian has been voted ‘Europe’s best low-cost carrier’ by passengers for six consecutive years at SkyTrax World Airline Awards from 2013-2018, along with being awarded the ‘World's best low-cost long-haul airline’ in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018
Norwegian Reward is the airline's free to join award-winning loyalty programme offering members CashPoints and Rewards that reduce the cost of Norwegian flights

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.