Norwegian carried 78% more passenger in January 2023

Norwegian announced “satisfying” passenger numbers for January 2023 with the airline hopeful that the positive booking trend would continue into the year.

According to the airline’s press release, 1.1 million passengers traveled with the low-cost carrier, 78% more than compared to January 2022. It deployed 44% more capacity, measured in Available Seat Kilometers (ASK). However, month-on-month (MoM) traffic dropped by 15% compared to 1.3 million people recorded onboard its Boeing 737s in December 2022.

“People traditionally travel less in January, instead using this time of year to book their next travels. Nevertheless, we had close to full flights to warmer destinations this month,” said Geir Karlsen, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Norwegian. Karlsen added that the New Year’s sales campaign gave the airline a “satisfying” start to 2023, with the CEO seeing a “positive booking trend” continuing “also after this sale”.

In total, Norwegian operated 62 aircraft. The airline owns 71 Boeing 737s, including three Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, according to planespotters.net.

“The past week has been very particular for the Nordic aviation sector, marked by Flyr’s bankruptcy. I strongly sympathize with the employees, customers, and others affected by the situation,” Karlsen continued.

The airline also announced that it would lease six Boeing 737 MAX-8 aircraft from Air Leasing Corporation (ALC), which leased six 737 MAX-8s to Flyr. The latter declared bankruptcy on February 1, 2023, citing its inability to meet its short-term obligations.