Norwegian and Widerøe surpass 26 million passengers in a year marked by expansion
According to the company, growth was driven by the acquisition of Widerøe and route expansion, despite operational challenges caused by weather conditions
Norwegian Group, which includes Norwegian Air Shuttle and Widerøe, transported a combined total of 1,769,513 passengers in December 2024, according to the company. Norwegian Air Shuttle carried 1,476,256 passengers, while Widerøe contributed 293,257. Over the course of the year, the group reached more than 26.4 million passengers (22.6 million on Norwegian Air Shuttle).
Norwegian CEO Geir Karlsen highlighted the company's growth during the year, including the acquisition of Widerøe and a significant increase in capacity. "We are pleased to close the year with a solid performance in December for the group," stated Karlsen, noting that the company attracted more than two million additional passengers in 2024, representing a growth of over 10% in customer numbers for both airlines.
In December, Norwegian Air Shuttle's capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK), increased by 24% compared to the same month in 2023. Demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), grew by 22%. This reduced the load factor by 1.4 percentage points, landing at 82.2%, a decline the airline attributed partly to a 10% increase in the average length of its routes.
Unit revenues also experienced a slight decline. The airline operated an average of 73 aircraft in December, achieving an operational regularity of 98.8%, a slight decrease compared to the previous year. Punctuality improved slightly, reaching 70.7%.
Karlsen acknowledged the operational challenges faced during the month, citing adverse weather conditions in Europe and the Nordic countries as key factors. "From an operational standpoint, December was a challenging month, largely due to winter weather conditions," he commented, while highlighting that Norwegian was once again recognized as one of the five most punctual airlines in Europe in 2024.
Widerøe recorded a modest 2% increase in capacity (ASK) in December. Passenger traffic (RPK) grew by 6%, raising the load factor by 2.6 percentage points to 73.3%. Additionally, Widerøe set a new annual record in 2024 by transporting 3.8 million passengers.
December also brought a significant legal victory for Norwegian. The Oslo District Court ruled in favor of the airline, declaring that it was not obligated to comply with the EU's Emissions Trading System (ETS) obligations during its financial restructuring in 2020. Furthermore, the court deemed a fine of nearly 400 million Norwegian kroner illegal and ordered its full reimbursement, plus interest. Norwegian noted that the ruling is not yet final.
AUTOR
Contando la aviación desde marzo del año 2000. Fundador y Managing Editor de Aviacionline.
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