Norwegian’s traffic figures heavily impacted by COVID-19

Norwegian’s traffic figures for December were heavily influenced by lower demand caused by continued travel restrictions across Europe. However, Christmas bookings were positive.

In December, 129,664 customers flew with Norwegian, a decrease of 94% compared to the same period last year. The capacity (ASK) and total passenger traffic (RPK) were both down by 98%. The load factor was 52.3%, down 31% points.

Jacob Schram, CEO of Norwegian, said: “The pandemic continues to have a negative impact on our business as it has had since March 2020. At the beginning of last year, Norwegian was headed for a positive result in 2020, instead 2020 has been a very challenging year and we now find ourselves fighting for survival. Despite low demand in December, Christmas bookings were positive, and we have succeeded in adapting our operations to the current situation. Our goal is to be a financially strong and competitive airline, with a new financial structure, a rightsized fleet and improved customer offering.”

“The support from our customers, employees and suppliers this past year has been extraordinary. We all wish to travel and meet our friends and loved ones again and at Norwegian our focus continues to be to connect people in a safe and comfortable way. The vaccination is now being rolled out across the world and is good news for both the aviation industry and those who want to travel. We will be ready to meet the competition for customers after the COVID-19 pandemic. 2020 has been a tough year, but we will continue to fight and come out of this crisis as a stronger Norwegian,” Schram said.

Norwegian operated nine aircraft on average in December, mainly on domestic routes in Norway. The company operated 95.6% of its scheduled flights in December, whereof 88.5% departed on time.