Norwegian Air Shuttle transported 2.03 million passengers in September, marking an 8% increase compared to the same month in 2022. Capacity, measured in available seat-kilometers (ASK), grew by 23%, while demand (in RPK) increased by 21%. This resulted in a slight decrease of one percentage point in the load factor, which averaged 84.1%.
The airline emphasized that in September they achieved a 99.7% regularity, the highest level recorded since the pandemic outbreak in March 2020. This, asserted Geir Karlsen, CEO of Norwegian, «provide predictability for all customers that choose to fly Norwegian, either for leisure or business purposes«. Most flights that couldn’t operate, they indicated, were due to issues with air traffic control at London-Gatwick airport and strikes in Italy.
“As we approach the winter season, we have adjusted our operations to align with the travel patterns in the quieter winter trading period. A clear and continued trend is that our destinations in southern Europe experience continued robust demand among people from the Nordics. In addition, a new trend this autumn is the rise in popularity of city breaks to eastern Europe in particular,” added Karlsen.
During September, Norwegian operated with an average fleet of 80 aircraft, achieving an average punctuality of 84.6%.
So far in 2023, the Norwegian airline has mobilized 20.47 million passengers, 25% more than between January and September of 2022. The capacity (ASK) grew by 28%, while the demand increased by 31%, pushing the load factor upwards by two percentage points, standing at 84.1%.
Last month, Norwegian also launched ticket sales for the summer 2024 season, in which they have already confirmed three new routes, with more announcements to come in November.
See also: Norwegian launches ticket sales for Summer 2024 season
For the summer of 2024, according to the airline, services in their main markets will translate into 150 routes from Norway, 64 from Denmark, 54 from Sweden, and 21 from Finland. The airline also has three bases in Alicante, Barcelona, and Málaga in Spain, to which a fourth will be added in Palma de Mallorca next summer (all four bases focus on serving the Scandinavian markets).
