Norwegian Group reports strong February demand with high load factors

The Norwegian Air Shuttle Group recorded solid passenger demand in February 2026, carrying 1.6 million passengers across its airlines. The main carrier transported 1.32 million passengers, while regional subsidiary Widerøe carried 298,000, reflecting healthy demand despite the traditionally quieter winter period.

Norwegian: High load factor despite lower capacity

In February, Norwegian’s capacity (ASK) declined 5% year-on-year to 2.11 billion seat kilometres, reflecting seasonal adjustments. However, traffic (RPK) still grew 0.5% to 1.89 billion seat kilometres, pushing the load factor to 89.5%, a 5-percentage-point increase compared with February 2025.

The airline operated an average of 75 aircraft during the month. Operational performance remained strong, with regularity at 99.6% and punctuality at 75.4% of flights departing within 15 minutes of schedule.

CEO Geir Karlsen said the results demonstrate effective capacity management during the winter season and highlighted improving unit revenues and sustained demand in Nordic markets.

Widerøe: steady traffic and improved load factor

Regional airline Widerøe reported capacity of 144 million seat kilometres, down 3% year-on-year, while traffic remained stable at 104 million RPK. The load factor increased to 72.5%, up 2 percentage points from the previous year.

Operational performance was also strong, with regularity at 96.8% and punctuality at 85.6%.

Outlook

The group reports encouraging booking trends for the coming months and has hedged 45% of its estimated fuel consumption for the rest of the year to mitigate market volatility.

CEO Tore Jenssen noted that the February performance provides a solid foundation as the airline prepares for the busy spring and summer travel seasons.