Press release - 10 January 2017 10:15

Norwegian’s passengers donated £500,000 to UNICEF in 2016

Norwegian’s partnership with UNICEF saw the airline's passengers donate more than £500,000 in 2016 to UNICEF’s work with vulnerable children.

Through a simple click when finishing their online booking, Norwegian's passengers donated a total of £500,880 to UNICEF last year - enough to fully finance five schools; install 1,500 wells with water pumps that can supply an entire village or refugee camp with clean drinking water; a million emergency kits that can provide 34,000 children with food rations for two weeks; or polio vaccines for one million children.

Norwegian CEO Bjørn Kjos said: "I want to thank our amazing passengers for the generosity they have shown in 2016. This money can help make the world a better place for those who need it the most. By making it easier to donate, more people will contribute. A small contribution from many passengers can give more children the future they deserve.”

Acting Executive Director of UNICEF Norway Merete Agerbak-Jensen said: “On behalf of children worldwide we want to thank Norwegian’s passengers who have made a big difference in the lives of vulnerable children everywhere. We hope that both new and frequent passengers will continue to save lives by donating in the future.”

A simple click when finishing their online booking with Norwegian is all it takes for passengers to make a UNICEF donation. Customers have the option to donate £3, £5, £10 or £15 when they book their tickets. £3 is enough to vaccinate 10 children against polio; £5 is enough to buy 1000 water purification tablets – enough to purify 5000 litres of water; £10 can give 21 packets of therapeutic food – enough for one week’s treatment for a malnourished child; and £10 can provide an entire class of school children with books.

Since 2007, Norwegian and UNICEF have had a signature partnership. Through this partnership, they have sent aircraft fully loaded with emergency aid and school supplies to the Central African Republic and to Syrian refugees in Jordan. Additionally, Norwegian supports UNICEF through travel funding and fundraisers, and all Norwegian employees donate their company Christmas presents to UNICEF.

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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.

​Norwegian’s passengers donated £500,000 to UNICEF in 2016