Category Archives: Norwegian.com

Norwegian suspends flights with Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, following recommendations by European aviation authorities

Norwegian has issued this statement:

Following the decision by the relevant aviation regulatory bodies to temporarily suspend operations of Boeing 737 MAX, Norwegian will not operate any flights with this aircraft type until further notice. We remain in close dialogue with the aviation authorities and Boeing, and follow their instructions and recommendations.

Norwegian has more than 110 Boeing 737–800 aircraft in its fleet, which are not affected by this temporary suspension.

We would like to apologize to customers who will be affected by temporary cancellations and delays, but the safety and security of our customers and colleagues will never be compromised, and once authorities advise to cease operations we will of course comply.

Tomas Hesthammer, Norwegian’s acting Chief Operating Officer said:: “In response to the temporary suspension of Being 737 MAX operations by multiple aviation authorities we have taken the decision to not operate flights using this aircraft type, until advised otherwise by the relevant aviation authorities. We would like to apologize to customers for any inconvenienced caused, however, safety will always remain our top priority.”

Norwegian has 18 Boeing 737 MAX 8 in its fleet today. The total order of these aircraft is 110.

Norwegian followed-up with the additional statement:

All aircraft that are currently airborne will continue to destination or return to home base. We are now working on re-allocating our fleet options with other aircraft types, re-bookings to other flights and combining flights to minimise inconvenience caused for our passengers. We would like to apologise to customers who are affected, but the safety and security of our customers and colleagues will never be compromised. Affected passengers will be informed via SMS and our web pages.

Top Copyright Photo: Norwegian.com (Norwegian Air International) (Ireland) Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 EI-FYI (msn 42834) (Arthur Collins, American radio communications pioneer) LGW (Antony J. Best). Image: 943737.

Norwegian (Ireland) aircraft slide show:

Norwegian sells two Airbus A320neo aircraft, launches an upgraded WiFi service on European flights

Norwegian has made this announcement:

Arctic Aviation Assets, a subsidiary of Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA, has signed an agreement for sale of two Airbus 320neo aircraft.

The aircraft are currently leased out and thus not operated by the Company. Delivery will take place during February 2019. The transaction is expected to increase the Company’s liquidity by $26 million after repayment of debt and have a positive equity effect. Sale proceeds will be used to repay debt and to increase the Company’s liquidity.

The sale is in line with the Company’s strategy of capitalizing on the scale built up over the last few years and the changed focus from growth to profitability. This announcement is an extension of the information provided in the stock exchange announcement “Norwegian strengthens its balance sheet through a fully underwritten rights issue of NOK 3 billion” on 29 January, where sale of aircraft was highlighted as a measure to reduce capital expenditures, in addition to postponement of aircraft deliveries.

In other news, Norwegian is continuing to enhance the passenger experience by commencing the rollout of new and improved inflight WiFi connectivity onboard the airline’s Boeing 737-800 fleet.

Norwegian, named Europe’s Best Low-Cost Airline by SkyTrax, was the first airline to offer passengers free in-flight WiFi on all European flights in 2011. The airline became the first to introduce live television over the skies of Europe in 2015 and in 2018 it took delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner equipped with inflight WiFi. Norwegian became the first low-cost airline to offer customers free WiFi for the full duration of intercontinental flights.

Today, Norwegian has launched an upgraded WiFi experience on its Boeing 737-800 aircraft as part of improving the customer experience. Norwegian operates Boeing 737-800 aircraft on intra-European routes, routes connecting Europe with North Africa, Middle East and on flights between the USA and French Caribbean.

Norwegian will gradually roll out the new Premium WiFi service across its Boeing 737-800 fleet and expects to complete the rollout in mid-February 2019.

Three Wi-Fi packages available

Customers travelling on a Boeing 737-800 aircraft with the new Premium Wi-Fi service available will have a selection of three packages – SURF, the free option and two paid options, SOCIAL+SURF and STREAM+SURF, both offering faster speeds.

SURF – Available for free, delivers web browsing, email and text-based messaging

SOCIAL+SURF – Provides faster web browsing, access to email and all social media. Available for €5 per device. (Pricing may be subject to change.)
STREAM+SURF – Offers faster web browsing, email access and social media in addition to the ability to stream TV shows, movies and music content on services such as Netflix, YouTube and Spotify among others. Available for €12 per device. (Pricing may be subject to change.)

Norwegian recently started introducing WiFi to its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and Boeing 737 MAX fleet. Here, customers have two choices – Basic free Wi-Fi for the full duration of long-haul flights and a premium high-speed option, fast enough to stream television shows and movies.

Norwegian expects to have the rollout of WiFi completed on 50 percent of its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft by 2020.

Norwegian operates a young fleet of more than 160 aircraft with an average age of 3.7 years.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by the airline): Norwegian Air Shuttle (Norwegian.com) Boeing 737-8JP WL LN-DYP (msn 39047) (Aksel Sandemose, Norwegian author) ARN (Stefan Sjogren). Image: 945580.

Norwegian aircraft slide show:

Norwegian to offer free WiFi on Boeing 787-9 and 737-8 MAX 8 fleet

Norwegian is upgrading the passenger experience with the introduction of inflight WiFi on its growing long-haul fleet of aircraft. As the first low-cost carrier to introduce free WiFi on intercontinental flights, Norwegian customers will be able to stay connected with the rollout of basic and premium high-speed WiFi connectivity on the carrier’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and 737 MAX aircraft.

The first WiFi connected Norwegian Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft was delivered on December 18, 2018 (reg: G-CKWP) and features American author Mark Twain on its tailfin. The new aircraft has entered service, which marks the first time Norwegian passengers can experience free inflight WiFi for the full duration of long-haul flights.

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Norwegian became the first carrier to offer free WiFi on all European routes in 2011 and the first European airline to successfully offer live television in the skies in 2015. Since 2013, Norwegian has rapidly grown to become a leading long-haul airline offering more than 60 long-haul routes between Europe, the United States, South America and Asia serviced by modern, state-of-the-art, fuel-efficient aircraft.

Norwegian Air’s US route map for the summer of 2019:

More than 50 percent of Norwegian’s 787-9 Dreamliner fleet is expected to offer in-flight connectivity by 2020. The rollout of WiFi on the airline’s Boeing 737 MAX aircraft will commence from mid-January 2019.

“We’re continuously improving the inflight customer experience and we’re delighted to be the first airline offering free WiFi for the full duration of long-haul flights. Millions of Norwegian customers have already enjoyed free WiFi over the skies of Europe and now long-haul passengers can continue to rely on free and high-speed internet connectivity that will enhance and personalize their journeys. From being the first European airline to launch free WiFi on all short-haul flights followed by free live television, Norwegian’s rollout of high-quality inflight broadband services will offer business and leisure travelers even greater value at affordable fares,” said Vice President Business Development Boris Bubresko, Norwegian.

Passengers will enjoy fast speed internet using the wireless inflight connectivity platform, CabinConnect™ by Collins Aerospace. Passengers will have highly secured access to content through CabinConnect including their favorite shows, inflight map and voice and messaging services through their devices.

CabinConnect uses the Inmarsat Global Aviation (GX) satellite network, specifically designed to offer passengers consistent, reliable high-speed global inflight connectivity. Inflight WiFi works via an antenna fitted to each aircraft fuselage that communicates with Inmarsat’s GX satellite network.

“We are collaborating with Norwegian to achieve their vision of optimizing their aircraft and enterprise operations to address both cabin and flight deck requirements, as well as adding new capabilities for the future,” said LeAnn Ridgeway, Vice President of Information Management Services at Collins Aerospace.

In 2019, five brand new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and 19 737 MAX aircraft will join Norwegian’s fleet. Norwegian currently operates 24 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners as part of its overall Dreamliner fleet of 32 aircraft.

Two packages – Basic and Premium inflight WiFi

Norwegian economy and Premium customers on the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and 737 MAX will have the choice of two inflight WiFi packages:

Basic option

The Basic option is free and will allow customers to browse the web, stay-up-to-date on social media, send and receive emails and instant messages with friends, family and colleagues by using their personal mobile phones, tablets and laptops on board for the full length of the flight.

Premium option

Fast enough to stream music, movies and television shows on Netflix, YouTube and Hulu among others, Norwegian will offer passengers a Premium high-speed WiFi option.

Premium high-speed WiFi will be available at an introductory price of $14.95 USD for a three-hour package. Customers can select their preferred currency when choosing the WiFi package.

In the U.S., Norwegian continues to be the fastest growing foreign airline, and will operate from 17 airports and currently offers more than 50 nonstop routes to Europe, as well as four routes from the U.S. to Guadeloupe and Martinique in the French Caribbean, and three routes out of Canada.

Norwegian adds Miami and San Francisco; expands Boston routes

Norwegian will add two more European nonstop routes out of Boston’s Logan International Airport next summer, as well as move its existing London service from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to Miami International Airport and from Oakland International Airport to San Francisco International Airport.

Norwegian offers the most nonstop routes from both California and Florida to Europe, and these moves will strengthen the airline’s operations in both states.

The new service from Boston to Rome will commence on March 31, 2019, and operate four times per week.

The new Madrid service will launch on May 2, 2019, and operate three times per week.

Both new routes will be summer seasonal only. Norwegian currently operates nonstop flights from Boston to London and Paris.

Additionally, the airline will move two of its existing London nonstop routes starting March 31, 2019. Service to London currently operated from Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood will move to Miami and from Oakland to San Francisco. Miami to London will be a daily service, while San Francisco to London service will be five times weekly.

Norwegian is also increasing frequencies on some of its Madrid, Paris and Rome service from other U.S. gateways for the summer 2019 schedule:

Denver to Paris will increase to three weekly flights, up from twice weekly.
Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood to Paris will increase to three weekly flights, up from twice weekly.
Los Angeles to Paris will increase to daily service, up from six weekly.
Los Angeles to Madrid will increase to four weekly flights, up from three weekly.
Los Angeles to Rome will increase to four weekly flights, up from three weekly.
New York to Madrid will increase to daily service, up from four weekly.
Oakland to Rome will increase to three weekly flights, up from twice weekly.
Orlando to Paris will increase to twice weekly service, up from once weekly.

Norwegian will now operate from 17 airports in the United States, and offers more than 50 nonstop routes to Europe, as well as four routes from the U.S. to Guadeloupe and Martinique in the French Caribbean, and three routes out of Canada.

Top Copyright Photo: Norwegian Air Shuttle (Norwegian.com) (Norwegian Long Haul) Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner LN-LNE (msn 34796) (Roald Amundsen) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 944579.

Norwegian aircraft slide show:

Norwegian to increase number of transatlantic flights from Ireland by over 35% next summer

Norwegian continues its growth in Ireland by announcing its new expanded 2019 summer schedule with 37% more weekly departures to the USA and Canada.

Norwegian currently operates flights from Dublin, Shannon and Cork airports to New York-Stewart International Airport and Providence TF Green Airport on the US East Coast. Flights are operated using brand new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

Norwegian’s increased 2019 summer schedule from Ireland has 40 weekly transatlantic departures and is now available to book for travel from March 31, 2019, as follows:

From Dublin

Hamilton-Toronto – The brand-new daily service to Canada commences on March 31, 2019 and will mark the first direct flight between Hamilton and Dublin. The new route provides passengers with greater choice and flexibility for travel to Toronto and nearby Niagara Falls. Fares from €189 one way.
Providence – Norwegian will increase flights to Providence, Rhode Island to a daily service next summer, up from five flights per week. One of America’s oldest cities, Providence provides good access to Boston and other ideal summer destinations in New England such as Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. Fares from €129 one way.
Stewart – Consumers will continue to benefit from twice-daily flights on Norwegian’s popular Dublin-New York-Stewart route following the introduction of a daily morning departure in April.

From Shannon

Stewart – Norwegian will increase its summer service to New York Stewart International Airport from three to five flights per week due to strong passenger demand. Fares from €129 one way.
Providence – Business travellers and holidaymakers will continue to benefit from four flights per week to the heart of New England next summer. Fares from €129 one way.

From Cork

Providence – Norwegian will continue its seasonal service to Providence with three flights per week. The airport’s only flights to the US will continue to offer Cork residents a direct transatlantic link during the busier summer season. Fares from €129 one way.

Norwegian also serves the European cities of Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Helsinki direct from the Irish capital with fares from €33.51 one way.

Copyright Photo (all others by Norwegian): Norwegian.com (Norwegian Air International) (Ireland) Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 EI-FYG (msn 42831) (Maria Zambrano, Spanish philosopher) PMI (Ton Jochems). Image: 942552.

Norwegian aircraft slide show:

Norwegian continues Ireland expansion with double-daily Dublin-Stewart, NY flights

Norwegian is continuing its Irish expansion by doubling the number of flights on its popular Dublin-New York area service which will allow for day trips to New York State.

Europe’s third largest low-cost airline, first launched transatlantic flights from Dublin to Stewart International Airport in New York State and Providence, Rhode Island, last summer using brand new Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft offering up to 189 seats. Each destination serves as a gateway to the metropolitan areas of New York City and Boston, in addition to major tourist attractions in New York State and New England which include Woodbury Common Premium Shopping Outlets, Cape Cod and Nantucket.

From April 26, Norwegian’s daily nonstop flights from Dublin to New York area, will increase to a twice-daily service. The new early morning departure at 8:10 am will offer passengers the earliest flight from Dublin to New York area, which lands at 10:30 am local time.

Norwegian currently operates six routes from Dublin to destinations in the USA and Nordic countries including Providence, Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Helsinki. Passengers flying Norwegian from Dublin and Shannon can use US Preclearance facilities to clear US immigration and customs before departure. The airline opened a new pilot base at Dublin Airport in 2017 to support the airline’s growing international operations.

Norwegian will also increase the number of transatlantic flights from Shannon. From March 27, the airline will double its frequency to Providence from two to four flights a week and will add a third weekly flight to Stewart, New York.

This month, it was confirmed Stewart International Airport will be renamed New York Stewart International Airport as part of a $37 million airport upgrade to better handle soaring international passenger numbers. Norwegian is the only airline to operate international flights from Stewart International Airport.

Norwegian is the world’s sixth largest low-cost airline, carrying around 30 million passengers per year to more than 150 global destinations. Norwegian has almost 150 aircraft in its fleet with an average age of 3.6 years, making it one of the world’s youngest fleets – the airline also has more than 200 additional new aircraft on order.

Photo: Norwegian.

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 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.

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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:

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