Norwegian had a successful December with over 1.3 million passengers, marking a significant increase in the load factor by 6 percentage points compared to December 2022. Throughout 2023, the airline served over 20 million passengers, a 16% rise from the previous year.
Geir Karlsen, CEO of Norwegian, expressed satisfaction with these solid results and noted a positive trend in bookings continuing into 2024, especially with the ongoing New Year’s sale.
Despite operating close to the same passenger numbers as in December 2022, Norwegian’s capacity slightly decreased by 5%. Winter storm Pia affected punctuality, but the airline maintained a high regularity rate of 99.5% on scheduled flights and ensured 93% of departures arrived on schedule or within an hour of the scheduled time.
For the entirety of 2023, Norwegian experienced a 16% passenger increase, reaching 20.6 million passengers, alongside an 18% capacity rise. The load factor also saw a 2-percentage-point increase, reaching 84.7%.
CEO Karlsen highlighted the successful handling of challenges posed by winter storm Pia, ensuring passengers made it home in time for Christmas celebrations. Additionally, the approval of Norwegian’s acquisition of Widerøe by the Norwegian Competition Authority will enhance route options and streamline travel within Norway and abroad.
December saw Norwegian launching new routes to various destinations and their summer 2024 flight schedule offers over 330 routes to more than 120 destinations.