Norse Atlantic suffers 25% slump in April carryings amid Middle East conflict

Norse Atlantic Airways is making efforts to counteract the impact of the Iran conflict after reporting a 25% decline passengers flown in April.

 

The long-haul budget carrier operates a fleet of 12 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, spilt between in-house flying and external charter and ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) wet lease operations.   

 

Passenger numbers fell by a quarter year on year to 116,000 across its own network and ACMI/charter flights.

 

The decline partly reflected the impact of the prolonged Middle East conflict, as well as the airline “proactively adapting” by reducing available capacity. The total load factor was 96%, up one percentage point year on year.

 

Norse Atlantic operated 192 flights across its own network, down from 433 in the same month last year, while the number of ACMI/charter flights increased to 246 from 66 a year earlier.

 

The airline’s on-time performance was “negatively impacted” by continued air traffic control delays, airport congestion and travel disruptions as knock-on effect from the Middle East conflict. 

 

However, the month saw revenue in its own network rise by 32% over April 2025, “reflecting continued higher average ticket prices and attractive routes”. 

 

Chief executive Eivind Roald said: “Norse Atlantic delivered solid commercial performance with significantly higher unit revenue in a shoulder month and amid geopolitical tensions affecting our entire industry. 

 

“I am also pleased that 81% of our flights departed on time, a strong improvement reflecting dedicated efforts by the entire organisation. 

 

“We continued to capture demand for direct long-haul flights and cargo between Europe and Asia at higher prices, while shifting capacity towards transatlantic routes. 

 

“We are working to make Norse profitable, which means securing higher unit revenue while also being agile and disciplined on capacity. 

 

“This includes proactively reducing activity in our own network in softer periods and shifting capacity to ACMI and charter.”