Norwegian Long Haul (Norwegian.com) (Oslo) is planning to launch a new route connecting London (Gatwick) with Oakland in May 2016. The new route will be operated three days a week with Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners starting on May 12 per Airline Route.
Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Now registered in Norway (was previously registered in Ireland), Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner LN-LNG (msn 35314) arrives at Los Angeles International Airport.
Norwegian aircraft slide show: 
Norwegian Air Shuttle’s (Norwegian.com) (Oslo) inaugural flight from Boston to the French Caribbean island of Martinique will take off today, while the first flights from New York and Baltimore/Washington to Martinique and Guadeloupe also departing this week.
Norwegian will be the only airline to offer free WiFi and live TV service between the U.S. and Caribbean using its Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which already operate on 29 routes from the UK to Europe.
Flight information for French Caribbean routes
From New York (JFK) to Guadeloupe– 3 weekly flights
From New York (JFK) to Martinique – 3 weekly flights
Boston (BOS) to Guadeloupe – 2 weekly flights
Boston (BOS) to Martinique – 2 weekly flights
From Baltimore / Washington (BWI) to Guadeloupe – 2 weekly flights
From Baltimore / Washington (BWI) to Martinique – 2 weekly flights
Norwegian recently launched the UK’s only direct flights to the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico and announced brand new low-cost flights to Boston from 2016 serviced by its state-of-the-art Dreamliner aircraft.
In other news, Norwegian retired its last Boeing 737-300 Classic in November.
Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-8JP LN-DYU (msn 39008) with “Wireless Internet on Board” sub-titles and the image of Jorn Utzon on the tail, arrives at Tenerife Sur.
Norwegian aircraft slide show:
Norwegian Air Shuttle (Norwegian Long Haul) (Oslo) has entered into an agreement for the delivery of two new 344-seat Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. This agreement means the Norwegian carrier will have a total of 19 Dreamliners in its long-haul fleet by 2018.
According to the carrier:
“Norwegian continues to build up long-haul fleet for further international growth and has entered into agreements to lease two long-haul Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The new aircraft are planned to enter service in the summer of 2017. Norwegian has currently eight Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners in the fleet and now another 11 Dreamliner 787-9s on order. This means that the company will have a fleet of 19 long-haul aircraft of which four will be delivered in 2016, five in 2017 and two in 2018.
The aircraft are leased by the Norwegian wholly owned subsidiary Arctic Aviation Assets.
Copyright Photo: SM Fitzwilliams Collection.
Norwegian aircraft slide show:
Norwegian Air Shuttle (Norwegian.com) (Oslo) continues its expansion, this time from an un expected area for next winter.
During the upcoming winter season Norwegian will fly from Boston, Baltimore/Washington and New York (JFK) to the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. Norwegian will offer 31 nonstop routes from the US.
Norwegian already offer nonstop flights from the Scandinavian capitals and London (Gatwick) to the Caribbean.
Norwegian will operate its Boeing 737-800 aircraft on the routes. According to the airline, “Norwegian thereby becomes the only airline that offers free WiFi between the US and the Caribbean”.
According to the airline; “Norwegian pilots and cabin staff in Europe will now have the opportunity to work on the company’s temporary bases in Guadeloupe and Martinique in the winter months. Recruitment of pilots and cabin crew to bases in the Caribbean begin immediately. Captains, first officers and cabin crew from Norwegian’s European operations (the Nordic countries, the UK and Spain) with the ability to break abroad for four months are encouraged to apply.”
Norwegian’s new routes between the US and the Caribbean starts in early December, with three flights a week from New York (JFK) to both Guadeloupe Pointe-a-Pitre Airport (PTP) and Martinique Aimé Césaire International Airport (FDF).
Norwegian will fly twice a week from both the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Guadeloupe and Martinique.
Martinique and Guadeloupe are both part of France. Both islands are French territory and therefore is considered part of the EU.
Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-8JP LN-DYF (msn 39004) of Norwegian arrives on the island of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.
Norwegian aircraft slide show:
Norwegian Long Haul (Norwegian.com) (Oslo) continues to expand its long route network with new destinations. Norwegian will launch nonstop flights to San Juan, Puerto Rico from Stockholm (Arlanda), Oslo, Copenhagen and London (Gatwick).
Stockholm and Copenhagen will also get nonstop flights to Las Vegas. From Copenhagen Norwegian is launching a new route to the Caribbean island of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands.
Here is a list of the new Norwegian Boeing 787 routes:
Stockholm – San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU)
Weekly on Tuesdays, starting November 3
Stockholm – Las Vegas (LAS)
Weekly on Saturdays, starting October 31
Copenhagen – San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU)
Weekly on Mondays, starting November 6
Copenhagen – St. Croix, US Virgin Islands (STX)
Weekly on Mondays, starting November 9
Copenhagen – Las Vegas (LAS)
Weekly on Tuesdays, starting November 10
Oslo – San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU)
Weekly on Sundays, starting November 1
London Gatwick – San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU)
Two flights a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, starting November 4
Top Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner EI-LNG (msn 35314) with Norwegian artist Edvard Munch on the tail approaches the runway at Los Angeles International Airport.
Below Photo: Norwegian. Norwegian Long Haul crew.
Norwegian aircraft slide show:
Norwegian Air Shuttle (Norwegian Air Norway) (Norwegian.com) (Oslo) has announced the devastating strike by its pilots, represented by the Norwegian Pilots Association (NPU), is over after 11 days of strikes. The airline today is attempting to get back to a normal schedule and will transport the affected passengers.
Norwegian CEO Bjorn Kjos stated “Norwegian has gone far to get a solution to the conflict which lasted for 11 days”. According to the company (translated from Norwegian);
“For Norwegian it has been important to enter into contracts that give the board and management the right to continue to build a modern group structure that makes the company competitive internationally. It also has been central to the negotiations to not sacrifice the commercial management and the ability to adapt the company in an industry that is constantly changing. The company has introduced the collective defined contribution pension even for pilots, a reduced Loss of Licence (LOL) insurance and some increased flexibility in working hours.
The Scandinavian pilots have received a new collective agreement with conditions that remain among the best in the industry. The agreement has been concluded with the pilot companies they are now employed. Norwegian has also sent a special employment guarantee for all pilots who are employed in Scandinavia today. Such a guarantee is unique in Scandinavian workplace and in a competitive industry like the aviation industry. Employment guarantee is the collective agreement and applies until October 2017.”
Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. A dramatic photo of Boeing 737-86N LN-NOJ (msn 37884) landing at volcanic Tenerife Sur (TFS) in the Canary Islands.
Norwegian aircraft slide show:
Norwegian Air Shuttle (Norwegian Air Norway) (Norwegian.com) (Oslo) is struggling with a crippling strike by its two pilot groups, NPU and Parathyroid. Norwegian has issued this statement (translated from Norwegian) to the two groups giving the unions a deadline to come to the negotiating table:
Norwegian will soon go into the seventh day of pilot strikes creating a state of emergency throughout the Group. Enough is enough. Over 100,000 travelers have so far been affected by the pilot strikes. The management of Norwegian Air Norway (NAN) has received authority from the management of the parent company to save the group from the current crisis. There is also a clear desire of some pilots in Norway, Sweden and Denmark will have the opportunity to influence their own future.
Attempts to get negotiations going have failed with the unions.
There are different situations in the three Scandinavian countries and the Norwegian has received questions from the Swedish and Danish pilots who do not want to risk their own workplace a result of, among other things, the NPU’s requirements for defined benefit pension. The Danish pilots already have a Danish pension and the Swedish pilots have their Swedish pensions.
Norwegian has always been set to reach a settlement with the NPU and Parathyroid but management does not want or can assign to a group of employees to take control of Norwegiankoncernen. NAN has now given the NPU and Parathyroid one last chance to immediately come to the negotiating table.
The airline has given a deadline to the NPU and Parathyroid unions to come to the negotiating table.
Read the full report from Reuters: CLICK HERE
Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. Norwegian Air Shuttle (Norwegian.no) Boeing 737-8Q8 WL LN-NOD (msn 35280) with Sonja Henie on the tail arrives at Las Palmas (Gran Canaria).
Norwegian aircraft slide show:
Norwegian Air Shuttle (Norwegian Air Norway) (Norwegian.com) (Oslo) will be impacted by a pilots strike tomorrow (March 4) affecting operations in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The pilots, as previously reported, are represented by the NPU. The pilots are protesting the outsourcing of jobs. Norwegian has issued this statement (translated from Norwegian):
Over 35 000 customers will be affected tomorrow by a pilot strike at Norwegian. Norwegian’s management has since the weekend been trying to reach a solution with the Norwegian Pilot Union (NPU) and the union Parat to avoid even more travelers suffering, without success.
Despite several attempts by the Norwegian’s leadership to get to constructive talks to avoid an escalation of the strike, this has not been possible to get into a dialogue. This leads unfortunately that all domestic flights in Norway, Sweden and Denmark set for tomorrow, Wednesday March 4, will be impacted. All departures between the Scandinavian capitals are also set.
Norwegian really regrets that passengers will be affected by the flight cancellations. We will do everything we can to take care of our passengers in the best possible way. Anyone who has registered a mobile phone number on his Norwegian-profile and will be affected by the strike will receive SMS by Norwegian.
Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. Norwegian Air Shuttle Boeing 737-8JP LN-NOW (msn 37817) with Oda Krohg on the tail taxies from the gate at Trondheim, Norway (TRD).
Norwegian aircraft slide show:
Norwegian Air Shuttle (Norwegian.com) (Oslo) recorded a net loss of NOK 1.05 billion ($138.5 million) for 2014, a surprising change from a net profit of NOK 322 million $42.4 million) in 2013. Norwegian blamed the reversal on its expansion and fuel hedging. The airline issued these details (translated from Norwegian):
Norwegian’s results for 2014 are characterized by strong revenue growth, increase in capacity and investment for the future. Fuel hedging for 2015 represents a major expense item on the 459 million Norwegian kroner, which affects the annual result significantly. Major expenses for 2015 has thus been taken already in the beginning of the year. Results for the year amounted to -1.05 billion NOK compared to 322 million Norwegian kroner for 2013.
After seven years of surpluses presents Norwegian negative annual results. Sales amounted however, to 19.5 billion NOK – an increase of 25 percent. Capacity (ASK) increased by 35 percent, yet the load factor of 81 percent, up three percentage points from the previous year. A total of 24 million passengers traveled with Norwegian in 2014, an increase of 16 percent from 2013.
For the fourth quarter totaled underlying earnings to the same level as in 2013. The deficit of -958 million NOK depends largely on fuel hedging for 2015 and a weak krone. Thanks to the transfer of large parts of the Norwegian’s fleet to the subsidiary Arctic Asset Aviation Ltd. (AAA), the value of aircraft increased as the dollar. This has had a positive effect on 361 million Norwegian kroner on equity, which effectively compensates currency losses for operations during the fourth quarter of 2014.
Explanation of results in 2014
Major changes in exchange rates and fuel hedging for 2015 negatively impacted earnings and accounted for 690 million Norwegian kroner for the year as a whole. Furthermore, delays in the long lines cost the company 265 million Norwegian kroner in 2014. These costs include lease expenses, additional fuel and the cost of hotels, food and drink to delayed passengers. Cost of delay in the approval of the EU’s application for a US pilot’s license totaled EUR 117 million Norwegian kroner. Only “one-man strike” among cabin staff union Parat effected in May 2014 being accounted for 101 million Norwegian kroner.
Fourth quarter 2014
In the fourth quarter the Norwegian 4.6 billion Norwegian kroner, an increase of 22 percent compared to the same quarter last year. Profit amounted to SEK -958 million NOK compared to -194 million Norwegian kroner last year. During the fourth quarter flew 5.65 million passengers, with the company which corresponds to a passenger growth of eight percent. Capacity growth increased further towards the end of the year to 21 percent, while load factor increased by three percentage points to 81 percent.
“There is no reason to hide the fact that 2014 was a weak year for Norwegian. At the same time, we see several bright spots in the beginning of 2015. 2014 was marked by international expansion, particularly substantial investment in long-haul traffic. We notice that our growth strategy takes the form of an even stronger foothold internationally. Despite high investment costs, we have managed to reduce unit costs and renewed fleet further so that the average age is now down to 4 years.
We enter 2015 with good demand for air travel and get the full effect of low oil prices during the first quarter. Meanwhile, there is no doubt that the costs must be reduced further to ensure the company’s competitiveness in a very tough industry”, says Norwegian’s CEO Bjørn Kjos.
Copyright Photo: SPA/AirlinersGallery.com. Norwegian Boeing 737-8JP WL LN-NGD (msn 39049) with the image of Ivo Caprino on the tail arrives at Gatwick Airport near London.
Norwegian aircraft slide show:
Norwegian Air Shuttle (Norwegian.com) (Oslo) set a new passenger record in 2014 with nearly 24 million passengers. The carrier transported three million more passengers in 2014 than the previous year. Since its inception in 2002, 130 million passengers have traveled with Norwegian.
According to the airline, “2014 was characterized by high capacity growth but also a high load factor. The load factor in 2014 was 81 percent against 78 percent in 2013. In 2014, the airline renewed the fleet considerably, launched many new routes – both intercontinental and in Europe and established new bases in the United States and Spain.”
Copyright Photo: SPA/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-8JP LN-DYG (msn 39165) with Swedish opera singer, Jenny Lind, arrives in London at Gatwick Airport.
Norwegian aircraft slide show: