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Norwegian and Widerøe achieve record passenger numbers in July

By

 Bart Noëth

 -

6 August 2024

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The Norwegian airline group, comprising Norwegian and Widerøe, saw a substantial increase in passenger numbers in July, recording a combined total of 2,857,128 passengers. This growth reflects a significant upturn in travel demand, with Norwegian alone welcoming 2,526,093 passengers, marking a 9 percent increase from July of the previous year and the highest number since 2019. Widerøe contributed 331,035 passengers to this total.

Geir Karlsen, CEO of Norwegian, expressed his satisfaction with the performance, highlighting the efforts of the staff during the busiest travel period of the year. “Their hard work is reflected across all our numbers, including a record high number of passengers who have chosen to travel with the group,” said Karlsen. He noted that Norwegian managed to improve its load factor while increasing capacity by 10 percent, signaling a robust demand continuing into August and the autumn season.

Norwegian’s Performance Metrics

Norwegian’s available seat kilometers (ASK) reached 4,068 million, a 10 percent rise from the previous year. The revenue passenger kilometers (RPK) matched this growth, also increasing by 10 percent to 3,763 million. The airline achieved a load factor of 92.5 percent, a slight increase from July 2023 and a significant improvement over the previous month by more than 8 percentage points.

Operational efficiency remained high with a regularity rate of 99.5 percent, indicating nearly all scheduled flights took place. However, punctuality, defined as flights departing within 15 minutes of the scheduled time, fell by 5.6 percentage points to 67.6 percent. Despite this, 93 percent of flights arrived within an hour of their scheduled time, a commendable performance given the heavy congestion in European airspace and multiple air traffic control (ATC) restrictions.

Widerøe’s Impressive Growth

Widerøe also showed remarkable improvement, with its load factor increasing by 4 percentage points to 83.5 percent, the highest for any July in the airline’s history. The airline’s capacity in ASK was 201 million, while the RPK stood at 168 million.

CEO Geir Karlsen acknowledged Widerøe’s achievements, attributing the success to the high level of service provided by the staff. “This July Widerøe had a record high load factor for the month of July. This demonstrates that passengers appreciate the consistent high level of service our Widerøe colleagues are delivering,” he said. The focus remains on further enhancing the travel experience for all passengers within the Norwegian group.

Looking Ahead

The strong performance in July sets a positive tone for the rest of the year. With a solid booking momentum observed for August and beyond, both Norwegian and Widerøe are well-positioned to capitalize on the increasing demand for air travel. The airlines’ commitment to operational excellence and passenger satisfaction will be key drivers as they navigate the remaining months of the year.