Press release -
Norwegian carried 1.6 million passengers in February
Norwegian carried more than 1.6 million passengers in February 2015, an increase of seven percent compared to the same month last year. The load factor was 84.8 percent in February, up 5.5 percentage points.
In February, 1,626,874 passengers flew with Norwegian. This is an increase of seven percent compared to February 2014. The total passenger traffic (RPK) increased by 17 percent and the total capacity (ASK) increased by nine percent this month. The load factor was 84.8 percent in February, up 5.5 percentage points.
The traffic growth in February is due to expansion in the European market and growth in Norwegian’s long-haul operations. However, the strike among Scandinavian pilots organized in Parat/Norwegian Pilot Union has led to a decline in ticket sales for March, especially on domestic routes in Scandinavia.
“2015 got off to a good start until the pilot strike hit us, which has influenced our traffic figures. The situation is deeply regrettable. Although our traffic is running as normal on our long-haul operation and from our bases outside Scandinavia, the strike still affects the entire company,” says CEO Bjørn Kjos.
Norwegian operated 99.7 percent of its scheduled flights in February, whereof 81.7 percent departed on time.
For more detailed information, please see pdf attached.
Media Contacts:
CFO Frode Foss, +47 91 63 16 45
Topics
Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA, commercially branded “Norwegian”, is a low-cost airline listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. Norwegian is the second largest airline in Scandinavia and third largest low cost carrier in Europe. The company reported its highest ever passenger figures in a single year with almost 24 million passengers in 2014. Norwegian has a route portfolio that stretches across Europe into North Africa and the Middle East, as well as long-haul flights to the US and Southeast Asia. The company has a total of 424 routes to 130 destinations and employs approximately 4,500 people in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, UK, Spain and Thailand. The company has 258 undelivered aircraft on firm order. Norwegian was founded in 1993 and its headquarter is in Fornebu, Norway. Norwegian offers better leg room than most competitors, in-flight WiFi on short haul, world-class punctuality and a fleet of 96 aircraft with an average age of only four years. In 2013 and 2014, Norwegian was voted Europe’s best low-cost carrier of the year by the renowned SkyTrax World Airline Awards. In 2014, Norwegian also won three prizes at the prestigious Passenger Choice Awards for Best Airline in Europe, Best Inflight Connectivity & Communications and Best Single Achievement in Passenger Experience for its moving map on the 787 Dreamliners. In addition, Norwegian was awarded Europe's best low-cost airline by AirlineRatings.com for the second year running.