Norwegian Air owner sees ‘robust’ winter booking momentum

The owner of Norwegian Air and regional carrier Wideroe has reported “robust” winter booking momentum.

The projection came as Norwegian Group saw October passenger carryings rise by 3% year on year to 2.64 million.

The first new Boeing 737 Max 8 from an 80-aircraft order arrived at Oslo airport at the end of the month after Norwegian Air operated a fleet of 86 aircraft in October.

Chief executive Geir Karlsen said: “October was a month of strong performance for the Norwegian Group. 

“We began the month with the award of a new domestic route in Denmark, to be operated partly with sustainable aviation fuel, and ended it by welcoming the first new Max 8 from our Boeing order. 

“Overall, we are very pleased with the October traffic figures, and in particular the load factor for both airlines. 

“Both Norwegian and Wideroe delivered strong on-time performance this month, which is very important to our customers. 

“We are now looking forward to a winter season with an exciting route network tailored to customer demand.” 

Capacity will be adjusted to give a better performance during the low season, he noted.

Karlsen added: “We are excited about the start of this year’s winter programme and look forward to offering more routes to winter warm destinations, which have been well received by our Nordic customers. 

“The booking momentum remains robust for the winter months, ahead of the same period last year. 

“We see strong demand for Christmas travel and encourage everyone with specific plans to book their flights as early as possible.”