Category Archives: Norwegian Air Shuttle

Norwegian and Spanish pilot union SEPLA sign collective agreement

Norwegian and Spanish pilot union SEPLA have signed a comprehensive collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The CBA will be valid for two years and represents an important step forward in one of the company’s most important markets. Earlier this week, Norwegian also signed a CBA for its long-haul crews based in Italy.

Spain is Norwegian’s second-largest market in passenger volume and the largest in number of staff.

SEPLA’s members will now vote on the agreement.

With 33 aircraft based in Spain this coming summer, and more operating bases than in all the Nordic countries put together, Spain is a key market for Norwegian.

This is the second CBA Norwegian signs in Spain, following the cabin crew collective back in June 2017 Elsewhere in Southern Europe, Norwegian has also signed CBAs with Italy’s short- and long-haul pilots and cabin crew The Italian long-haul CBA was signed earlier this week.

Norwegian keeps eight operating bases in Spain, all of them year-round: Alicante, Barcelona (two bases: one short- and one long-haul), Gran Canaria, Madrid, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, and Tenerife South. The company employs 2,190 people in Spain. Norwegian carried 8.46m passengers in Spain in 2017, a 24 per cent increase on the previous year.

Photo: Norwegian.

Norwegian Air Argentina receives its AOC

Norwegian Air Argentina S.A. (Buenos Aires) is a new airline based in Argentina. It is owned by the Norwegian Air Group.

The new airline received its Air Operators Certificate (AOC) on January 26, 2018 after being established on January 25, 2017.

The airline plans to operate six Boeing 737-800s with operations from Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Mendoza.

Norwegian transferred Boeing 737-800 EI-FVO to Argentinas as LV-HQH for the certification process.

The new airline is expected to launch operations in the second quarter of 2018.

Norwegian Air Shuttle issued this statement:

The low-fare airline Norwegian Air Argentina (NAA) received on January 26, 2018 the Air Services Operator Certificate (AOC) from the National Government. The document recognizes the company as a commercial airline, and certifies that it complies with safety and quality standards to carry out aeronautical operations and activities, in accordance with the law of the Argentine Republic.

Bjørn Kjos, CEO of Norwegian, said: “We are honored to receive the authorization by the Argentine Government and we thank the Minister of Transportation Guillermo Dietrich and his team for the trust in Norwegian. This is great news that shows that we are getting closer to the start of our operations in Argentina with our safe, efficient and friendly service”.

Ole Christian Melhus, CEO of Norwegian Air Argentina, said: “We received the AOC with great enthusiasm and honor and it is a major milestone for our journey in Argentina. We also thank the director of the National Administration of Civil Aviation, Tomás Insausti and all his team for their professionalism and dedication. Now we will focus on starting to offer safe flights and affordable fares to millions of passengers soon, as well as job creation and contributing to the stimulation of the local economy”.

Norwegian Air Argentina is an Argentine airline and was set up in March 2017. On December 11, 2017, the Argentine Government granted Norwegian Air Argentina 152 routes; among them, 72 domestic destinations and 80 international. The company received its first aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 on January 15 with local Hero Astor Piazzolla as the Tail Fin Hero.

Norwegian Air UK currently operates a route linking London (Gatwick) with Buenos Aires.

In other news, Norwegian announced that Scottish poet Robert Burns will become the first Scottish ‘tail fin hero’, as people across the globe celebrate Burns Night!

Burns Night is annual event to celebrate the life and work of Robert Burns on the anniversary of his birthday – January 25. The first Burns supper was held in July 1801 when Burns’ close friends got together to mark the fifth anniversary of his death. The night included performances of Burn’s work and was such a resounding success they decided to hold it again, beginning the tradition of Burns Night!

The renowned poet’s portrait will grace the tail fin of a Norwegian Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft (below) which will take to the skies later this Spring.

All photos by Norwegian.

Norwegian signs agreement with Widerøe

Norwegian Air Shuttle and Widerøe on January 26 signed an interline agreement. The agreement includes all Widerøe’s Public Service Obligation routes in Norway (listed below) and Norwegian’s domestic routes in Norway. Initially, the flights will only be available for purchase through Widerøe’s channels, with an estimated launch during the first half of March.

The following Widerøe routes are included in the agreement:

Oslo – Røros
All routes from Oslo and Bergen to Sogn og Fjordane and Ørsta/Volda
All routes between Trondheim and Helgeland (Mo i Rana, Mosjøen, Brønnøysund og Sandnessjøen)
Trondheim and Oslo to Rørvik and Namsos
All routes in Nordland, Troms og Finnmark, except from Bodø – Bardufoss
Direct routes from Oslo to Helgeland (Mo i Rana, Mosjøen, Brønnøysund, Sandnessjøen) and Lofoten (Svolvær, Leknes, Stokmarknes)
Direct routes from Bergen to Bodø and Tromsø
Sandefjord/Kristiansand/Trondheim to Evenes

Copyright Photo: Wideroe (Widerøe’s Flyveselskap AS) Bombardier DHC-8-103 LN-WIA (msn 359) TRD (Ton Jochems). Image: 912543.

Widerøe aircraft slide show:

Norwegian sets new record transatlantic flight time from New York to London by a subsonic aircraft

Norwegian (Norwegian Air UK) has set a new record time for the fastest ever transatlantic flight by a subsonic passenger aircraft this week using the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

Norwegian flight DY7014 from New York JFK to London Gatwick on Monday, January 15, 2018 completed the full duration of the flight in 5 hours and 13 minutes – the fastest transatlantic flight recorded on a subsonic commercial aircraft. The previous record was 5 hours and 16 minutes.

The flight carrying 284 passengers departed New York at 11:44 am and arrived at London at 9:57 pm – 53 minutes early.

Europe’s third largest low-cost airline, operates double daily flights between London and New York using the state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The flight benefitted from strong tailwinds over the Atlantic Ocean that reached a maximum of 176 knots (202mph). The tailwinds pushed the aircraft to a top speed of 776mph during the flight.

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft (G-CKHL, above) used on the record-breaking transatlantic flight adorns British tail fin hero Amy Johnson, a pioneering pilot who was the first female to fly solo from England to Australia in 1930. Norwegian honours iconic figures on the tails of its aircraft, using personalities who symbolise the spirit of Norwegian through innovation, challenging the norm, and inspiring others.

Captain Harold van Dam at Norwegian said: “The 787 Dreamliner is a pleasure to fly and it’s a great feeling to know that we have set a new record in this aircraft. We were actually in the air for just over five hours and if it had not been for forecasted turbulence at lower altitude, we could have flown even faster.”

The day before the record-breaking flight, London Gatwick-based Captain Pascal Niewold recorded his fastest ever transatlantic flight of 5 hours and 20 minutes while flying the Boeing 787 Dreamliner from New York to London on Sunday, January 14, 2018. The flight had a maximum tailwind of 195 knots (224mph) and reached a top speed of 779mph.

Captain Pascal Niewold at Norwegian said: “The passengers and crew were very pleasantly surprised that we were already landing in London. It was a very smooth flight with almost no turbulence and as a result of the jet stream we arrived 25 minutes early.”

In 2018, Norwegian will take delivery of 11 brand new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, 10 of which will feature Norwegian’s new expanded Premium cabin with 56 seats – 21 seats more than the airline’s current Premium cabin.

Copyright Photo: Norwegian.com (Norwegian Air UK) Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner G-CKHL (msn 63310) (Amy Johnson, British Aviator) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 940391.

Norwegian aircraft slide show:

Norwegian to start Stockholm – Iceland service, will drop flights to Hartford

Norwegian Air Shuttle (Oslo) will launch twice-weekly service from Stockholm (Arlanda) to Keflavik International Airport, the international airport serving the capital of Reykjavik, Iceland on March 26.

In other news, the carrier is discontinuing the Edinburgh – Hartford/Springfield route on March 25.

Copyright Photo: Norwegian.com (Norwegian Air International) (Ireland) Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 EI-FYF (msn 42829) (Clara Barton, American humanitarian) OSL (Ton Jochems). Image: 939114.

Norwegian (Ireland) aircraft slide show:

Norwegian reports record high year-end traffic figures: Carried over 33 million passengers in 2017

Norwegian Air Shuttle (Oslo) has made this announcement:

Norwegian reported its highest ever passenger figures in a single year with more than 33 million passengers and a load factor of 87.5 per cent in 2017. The launch of 54 new routes and a substantial increase of intercontinental traffic contributed considerably to the growth.

Passenger growth, more new aircraft and high load factors characterized 2017. The company carried more than 33.15 million passengers in 2017, 3.8 million more than the previous year. The company took delivery of 32 brand new aircraft and launched 54 new routes, mainly between Europe and the U.S. The Group hired approximately 2,000 new staff members. The 2017 load factor was 87.5 per cent, compared to 87.7 percent the previous year.

Norwegian also received several international customer awards in 2017, including two SkyTrax Awards: ‘Europe’s best low-cost carrier’ for the fifth consecutive year and the ‘World’s best low-cost long-haul airline’ for the third year in a row.

Norwegian CEO Bjørn Kjos said: “The 2017 traffic figures show that our international footprint grows stronger, in line with the Norwegian Group’s strategy. Our Scandinavian operation is stable and positive, and we see that our long-haul and short-haul networks complement each other, consequently strengthening our competitiveness. Our growing long-haul networks from the UK and Ireland continue to be well-received by passengers, proving the demand for high-quality, affordable travel. Increased tourism creates economic value and new jobs at all the destinations we serve.”

Passenger growth in December

December 2017 was also characterised by passenger growth and a solid load factor. Norwegian carried 2,402,005 passengers in December, up 12 per cent from the same month last year. Both the capacity growth (ASK) and the traffic growth (RPK) were 32 per cent. The load factor was 84.6 per cent, the same as December 2016.

Norwegian operated 99.3 percent of its scheduled flights in December, of which 68.2 per cent departed on time.

In other news, Norwegian is bringing new Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 routes to Helsinki starting on October 28, 2018; Budapest, Ivalo, London Gatwick, Oslo, and Rovaniemi.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by Norwegian): Norwegian.com (Norwegian Air International) (Ireland) Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 EI-FYC (msn 42825) (Jonathan Swift, Irish writer) ARN (Stefan Sjogren). Image: 940376.

Norwegian (Ireland) aircraft slide show:

Videos:

Norwegian reveals its plans for 2018 from London Gatwick

Norwegian Air Shuttle (Oslo) has announced its growth plans for this year from London Gatwick:

Low-cost airline Norwegian reveals its plans for 2018 as the award-winning carrier’s rapid expansion will take the airline to new heights. Norwegian will build upon its growth by launching new long-haul routes – including its first service to South America, introducing a new enhanced Premium cabin and inflight Wi-Fi to new long-haul aircraft. Norwegian will also add more affordable flights to its most popular USA destinations.

Europe’s third largest low-cost carrier flew 5.8 million passengers from the UK and Ireland and launched more than 15 routes in 2017. Some of its successes include commencing groundbreaking transatlantic flights from Scotland, Belfast and Ireland to smaller US east coast cities and taking low-cost long-haul global with the world’s longest low-cost route between London and Singapore.

Norwegian’s continued expansion is cleared for take-off and here are five developments to expect from the airline in 2018:

Norwegian’s first route to South America – On February 14, 2018, Norwegian will launch its first route to South America with a brand new direct service from London Gatwick to Buenos Aires available from £299 ($406.20) one way. Four flights per week on the 787 Dreamliner will unlock more affordable travel to Argentina, offering travellers access to a unique mix of European and Latin American culture.
New enhanced Premium cabin to fly on the 787 Dreamliner – Norwegian will introduce an expanded Premium cabin which will have 60% more seats for passengers wanting an enhanced experience. The new 56 seat cabin configuration will offer passengers more than a metre of legroom and 11” Panasonic monitors providing hours of complimentary inflight entertainment. The new cabin will be fitted on Norwegian’s final 20 787 Dreamliner orders set for delivery from February onwards.
Chicago and Austin to become newest US destinations – Norwegian will add Chicago and Austin to its growing list of long-haul destinations from London Gatwick this spring. From £149.90 ($203.65) one way, holidaymakers and business travellers can fly daily to the Windy City which launches on March 25, 2018. From March 27, 2018, Norwegian will commence a new three weekly service to Austin, Texas, known for its world-famous cultural scene and for providing the backdrop to the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival. Direct flights are available from £164.90 ($224.00) one way.
Introducing Wi-Fi on more state-of-the-art aircraft joining Norwegian’s fleet – Norwegian will add 11 Boeing 787 Dreamliners to its fleet in 2018 which are exclusively used on long-haul routes from London Gatwick. 10 of these new aircraft will feature the enhanced Premium cabin. Meanwhile 12 new Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft will land in Norwegian’s fleet this year to service the carrier’s transatlantic flights from Edinburgh, Belfast and Ireland to the US east coast. Later in 2018, Norwegian will begin to rollout inflight Wi-Fi on long-haul routes that will keep passengers connected in the skies.
Daily Boston flights and planned increases for Oakland and LA – Next spring, Norwegian will increase the number of flights on some of its most popular routes from London Gatwick. Boston increases from five weekly flights to a daily service with fares from £134.90 ($183.28) one way. Plans are underway to increase Oakland-San Francisco to a daily service and more flights are planned to Los Angeles, with twice-daily departures on select days of the week.

Copyright Photo: Norwegian Air Shuttle (Norwegian.com) (Norwegian Long Haul) Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner EI-LNJ (msn 37308) (Ole Bull) LGW (SPA). Image: 932556.

Norwegian aircraft slide show:

Norwegian to expand operations in Finland

Norwegian Air Shuttle has made this announcement:

Norwegian continues to grow and expand the number of flights to a number of popular European summer destinations from Helsinki-Vantaa. The capacity increase means that Finnish travelers get even more choices next summer as the number of seats increased by 15 percent.

In 2018 Norwegian will add 25 new aircraft into the fleet, which means more departures to popular summer destinations. Next spring and summer, starting March 25, 2018, Norwegian will increase the number of departures from Helsinki to a number of attractive destinations in Greece, Italy, Croatia, Kosovo and Bulgaria.

Norwegian will add more departures from Helsinki-Vantaa to Pristina, Athens, Crete, Venice, Burgas, Varna, Pula and Dubrovnik. These popular destinations will have a capacity increase of 15 percent, which means nearly 300,000 additional seats.

The capacity increase means that the routes from Helsinki to Pristina, Athens, Crete and Varna will be increased to two flights a week and the flights to Venice, Burgas and Pula will expand up to three flights a week during the summer of 2018. The flights to Dubrovnik will expand up to four flights a week.

Copyright Photo: Norwegian Air Shuttle (Norwegian.com) Boeing 737-8JP WL LN-DYH (msn 40865) (Soren Kiergaard) HEL (Ton Jochems). Image: 911080.

Norwegian expands long-haul network with flights from US to Madrid, Amsterdam and Milan, buys 28 slots at Gatwick

Norwegian on December 14, 2017 announced further expansion of its long-haul networks with four new routes between Europe and the United States to Europe: New York (JFK) and Los Angeles to Madrid; New York (JFK) to Amsterdam; and Los Angeles to Milan.

Norwegian now offers 61 nonstop transatlantic routes between the US and Europe.

To support the continuous growth at Los Angeles International Airport, Norwegian will open its fourth American crew base with 150 cabin crewmembers during the first quarter of 2018. The airline already has four crew bases for cabin crew and pilots in the U.S.

Service from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Madrid-Barajas Airport will launch on July 18, 2018, and operate three times per week. Service to Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport will launch on May 7, 2018, and will operate four times per week.

Service from Los Angeles International Airport to Madrid will launch on July 16, 2018, and will operate four times per week. Service to Milan-Malpensa Airport will launch on June 18, 2018, and will also operate four times per week.

Economy launch fares to Amsterdam and Madrid from New York City start as low as $199 and $229 one-way, respectively, including taxes; fares from Los Angeles to both Madrid and Milan start from $229 one-way, including taxes.

Overall, Norwegian now offers 61 transatlantic flights from 13 U.S. airports to Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom, as well six routes to the French Caribbean, totaling 67 routes out of the United States. Upcoming launches from the U.S. include: Oakland/San Francisco to Rome (February 6, 2018); New York/Newark to Paris (February 28); Chicago to London (March 25); Austin to London (Mach 27); Denver to Paris (April 9); Oakland/San Francisco to Paris (April 10), Boston to Paris (May 2); New York/JFK to Amsterdam (May 7); Los Angeles to Milan (June 18); Los Angeles to Madrid (July 16); and New York/JFK to Madrid (July 18).

In other news, Norwegian on December 13, 2017 confirmed it has acquired an additional 28 weekly slots at London Gatwick Airport from summer 2018. The take-off and landing slots, purchased from Small Planet Airlines, will allow Norwegian to plan for continued growth at Gatwick as the airline heads into its busiest ever year in the UK in 2018.

London Gatwick is at the heart of Norwegian’s fast-growing UK operation, where the airline already flies more than 4.6 million passengers each year to over 30 global destinations. Norwegian’s route network at Gatwick includes affordable long-haul flights to 9 US cities and Singapore, with further long-haul routes to Argentina, Chicago and Austin launching early next year.

Planning work is now underway to allocate the newly acquired 28 weekly slots which cover the busy summer 2018 period at London Gatwick.

Copyright Photo: Norwegian.com (Norwegian Air UK) Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner G-CJUL (msn 38779) (Roald Dahl, British Storyteller) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 940216.

Norwegian is authorized to operate in Argentina

Reuters reported the country of Argentina has authorized Norwegian to fly around 60 aircraft starting in 2018 in Argentina opening up 72 national and 80 international routes. Norwegian will be permitted to operate from the cities of Buenos Aires, Cordoba and Mendoza.

Traditionally the government has protected the national flag carrier Aerolineas Argentinas.

Copyright Photo: Norwegian.com (Norwegian Air International) (Ireland) Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 EI-FYC (msn 42825) (Jonathan Swift, Irish writer) DUB (Michael Kelly). Image: 939774.