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Global IT meltdown and Olympics ‘adversely’ hit Norse Atlantic July load factor

The dual impact of the Crowstrike global IT outage and Paris Olympic Games hit the load factor of Norse Atlantic Airways in July.

The disclosure came from the low cost long-haul carrier as it reported a 17% year-on-year rise in carryings to almost 177,000 passengers.

However, the average load factor of 83% was down by two percentage points over the same month last year. 


More: Special Report: Norse Atlantic Airways plots UK growth

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Founder and chief executive Bjorn Tore Larsen said: “Load factor in July was adversely impacted by both the Olympic games and the Crowdstrike IT global outage. 

“However, we have seen positive forward bookings trends for August in general as demand for summer travel is later compared to the same period a year earlier. 

“Norse Atlantic passengers experienced some cancellations as a direct result of the Crowdstrike IT incident and I would to thank our passengers for their patience during this extraordinary event. 

“I am pleased to report that despite the traditionally more challenging operational environment during the summer months we have continued to improve our year-on-year punctuality performance.”

The airline, which runs a network of transatlantic routes from Gatwick, operated 639 flights, including nine charters, during the month. 

The airline reported that 73% of flights arrived within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time with a completion rate of 98%.

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