Press release - 8 April 2010 07:02

30 per cent passenger growth for Norwegian in March

Norwegian continues its strong passenger growth. In March, 1 021 063 passengers chose to fly with Norwegian, a 30 percent increase from the same period last year. In line with the number of passengers and total production, the load factor improved by 3 percentage points.

- This month’s strong passenger growth is very satisfactory, although the figures are positively affected by the Easter holiday. More passengers choose to fly with Norwegian and our new Boeing 737-800 aircraft with higher capacity. We are also increasing the number of aircraft, the combined effect being a significant increase in capacity. The new aircraft which are being introduced to the fleet reduces our costs and thus the fares. In March alone we took delivery of four new Boeing 737-800 from Boeing in Seattle and yesterday morning our fourth direct-buy Boeing 737-800 landed in Oslo. This means that the fleet now comprises 23 aircraft of the 737-800 type in a total fleet of 51. By 2014 we will have 70 Boeing 737-800. New aircraft with more capacity is a win-win situation for our passengers, the environment and for the company’s focus on cost control, said Bjørn Kjos, Chief Executive Officer of Norwegian.

The yield is estimated at 0.55 NOK for March, down 11 per cent compared to the same month in 2009. The development partially reflects a significantly adjusted route portfolio, introduction of new aircraft with higher capacity and lower unit cost.

The cabin factor for the Group was 78 percent in March, up 3 percentage points compared to March 2009. Norwegian operated 99.6 percent of the planned flights in February, whereof 84.5 percent departed on schedule.

Please find more financial figures in the PDF attached.

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's Traffic Figures March 2010

The total number of passengers flown in March 2010 was 1,021,063 compared to 787,003 last year, an increase of 234,060 passengers (30 %). Compared to the same period last year: - Total passenger traffic (RPK) increased by 38 % - Total capacity (ASK) increased by 34 % - The load factor was 78 %, up 3 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.