Norwegian Air’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 percent compared to the same period last year. The capacity (ASK) and total passenger traffic (RPK) were both down by 98 percent. The load factor was 52.3 percent, down 31 percentage points.
– The pandemic continues to have a negative impact on our business as it has hadsince 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 thecurrent situation. Our goal is to be a financially strong and competitive airline, with a new financial structure, a rightsized fleet, and improved customer offering, said Jacob Schram, CEO of Norwegian.
– 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, 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 percent of its scheduled flights in December, whereof 88.5 percent departed on time.
