Norwegian Air posts best monthly traffic since pandemic despite strikes

Norwegian Air carried more than 1.9 million passengers in June 2022, the highest number since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The airline recorded 1,937,318 passengers, an increase of 19% compared to the previous month.

According to Geir Karlsen, CEO of Norwegian, the airline operated almost 100% of its 400 to 450 daily flights during June.

Norwegian stated that punctuality, as measured by the number of flights departing within 15 minutes of scheduled time, was at 70% in June and as many as 93% of all flights arrived on schedule or were no more than an hour late.

The carrier’s seat capacity (ASK) was 2,924 million seat kilometers, while actual passenger traffic (RPK) was 2,482 million seat kilometers. The load factor was 84.9.

The Scandinavian budget airline also operated an average of 68 aircraft and 99.1% of scheduled flights were completed in June.

The airline’s progress in this area came despite the strike action by aircraft technicians in Norway.

In June, the airline signed a new two-year collective bargaining agreement with the union representing the Norwegian cabin crew members and the Norwegian Pilot Union.

The strike action ended when the Minister of Labour announced compulsory arbitration.

“It has been a challenge due to a strike amongst aircraft technicians in Norway and the constraints at certain airports in Europe,” Karlsen noted. “We are satisfied with the agreement reached with our cabin crew and the Norwegian Pilot Union and we are also happy to have our aircraft technicians back at work to ensure that our flights are operating as normal. This means that we can deliver on the routes we have promised our customers.”

The airline is also currently experiencing high demand for the summer. However, seats are still available to many destinations in Europe, Karlsen added.