Press release - 4 June 2010 07:01

Norwegian reports passenger record in May

Norwegian reports the highest passenger number ever in May. Close to 1.2 million passengers flew with the airline last month. The traffic figures show that air travel is back to normal after European Authorities closed major parts of European airspace in April. The company had a passenger growth of 25 percent compared to May 2009.

As many as 1,185,373 passengers travelled with Norwegian in May, the highest number of passengers the company has ever reported in a single month. Norwegian also experienced a significant growth in May last year. A 25 percent growth compared to strong figures last year is therefore very pleasing, particularly taking into consideration that May this year had more public holidays which normally reduce travel activity on business destinations. The ASK growth was 38 percent and the load factor was 77 percent, the same as May 2009.

”April was an extremely challenging month for Norwegian due to the Authorities’ closing of European airspace. I am very satisfied to note the positive momentum which the company is in, particularly the substantial passenger growth. Given the fact the we have larger aircraft with more seats, it is also positive that we are able to maintain the same load factor as last year, said Bjørn Kjos, Chief Executive Officer of Norwegian.

Only six flights were cancelled due to volcanic ash in May, while 2,000 were cancelled in April.

In May the yield is estimated at 0.51 NOK, down 14 percent compared to May 2009. The development partially reflects a significantly adjusted route portfolio and the introduction of 12 new Boeing 737-800 aircraft with higher capacity and lower unit cost since May last year.

The company operated 99.7 percent of its scheduled flights in May, of which 88.2 percent departed on time.

Please find more financial figures in the attached PDF.

Contacts:
SVP, Corporate Communications, Anne-Sissel Skånvik, phone +47 48 99 44 40
CFO, Frode Foss, phone +47 91 63 16 45.

Topics

Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA, commercially branded “Norwegian,” is a public low-cost airline noted on the Oslo Stock Exchange. The company is the second largest airline in Scandinavia, and has a route portfolio that stretches across Europe into North Africa and the Middle East. With competitive prices and customer friendly solutions and service, the company has experienced significant growth over the previous years. With more than 10.7 million passengers in 2009, Norwegian is the 4th largest low-cost airline in Europe. The turnover in 2009 was in excess of NOK 7.3 billion. Norwegian currently operates 52 aircraft on 230 routes to 91 destinations and employes approximately 2 000 people.

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 May 2010

The total number of passengers flown in May 2010 was 1,185,373 compared to 946,082 last year, an increase of 239,291 passengers (25 %). Compared to the same period last year: - Total passenger traffic (RPK) increased by 37 % - Total capacity (ASK) increased by 38 % - The load factor was 77 %, which is equivalent to last year

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.