Norwegian Air says that just 129,664 customers flew with the airline in December, a fall of 94 per cent compared to the same period last year. The capacity (ASK) and total passenger traffic (RPK) were both down by 98 per cent. The load factor was 52.3 per cent, down 31 percentage 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 right-sized fleet and improved customer offering.”
“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.
The airline, which sought bankruptcy protection in Ireland in November, operated just nine aircraft on average during the month, mainly on domestic routes in Norway.