Norwegian Air Shuttle facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA

Founded	22 January 1993; 32 years ago (1993-01-22)
AOC #	NO.AOC.090
Operating bases	Alicante Barcelona (seasonal base) Bergen Copenhagen Helsinki Málaga Oslo Riga Stavanger Stockholm–Arlanda Trondheim
Frequent-flyer program	Norwegian Reward
Subsidiaries	Norwegian Air Sweden Widerøe
Fleet size	129 (including subsidiaries)
Destinations	105
Headquarters	"Diamanten" Fornebu, Norway
Key people	Geir Karlsen (CEO) Svein Harald Øygard (Chairman)
Revenue	$1.96 billion (Lua error in Module:Wd at line 1575: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).)
Operating income	$156 million (Lua error in Module:Wd at line 1575: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).)
Net income	$105 million (Lua error in Module:Wd at line 1575: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).)
Total assets	$2.36 billion (Lua error in Module:Wd at line 1575: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).)
Total equity	$437 million (Lua error in Module:Wd at line 1575: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).)

Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA, known simply as Norwegian, is a major Norwegian airline. It is a low-cost airline, which means it offers flights at lower prices. Norwegian is the second-largest airline in Scandinavia and the biggest in Norway.

It is also one of the largest low-cost airlines in Europe. Norwegian flies many times a day within Scandinavia and Finland. It also flies to big cities like London and popular holiday spots in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands. In 2016, it carried over 30 million passengers!

You can easily spot Norwegian planes by their special look. They are white with a red nose. On the tail of each plane, you'll see portraits of famous people who achieved great things.

Norwegian's flights are run by the main company and its part, Norwegian Air Sweden. Each of these airlines has its own special license to fly. But they share the same brand, look, and ways of doing business.

History of Norwegian Air Shuttle

How Norwegian Started (1993–2001)

Norwegian Air Shuttle (NAS) began on January 22, 1993. It took over regional flights that another company, Busy Bee, used to fly in Western Norway. Busy Bee had gone out of business.

NAS started with three Fokker 50 planes. It flew from Bergen Airport, Flesland to other cities like Haugesund and Trondheim. The company was started by former Busy Bee workers and had about 50 employees.

By 1999, Norwegian had six Fokker 50 planes. It flew 500,000 passengers on 20,000 flights. In 2000, the airline grew to seven Fokker 50s.

Becoming a Low-Cost Airline (2002–2009)

Norwegian used to fly seven McDonnell Douglas MD-80 planes.

In 2002, Norwegian started flying a route from Stavanger to Newcastle on its own. Before this, it mostly flew for other airlines. Later that year, another airline, SAS, bought Braathens. This caused Norwegian's contracts to be canceled.

Because of this, Norwegian decided to become a low-cost airline. On September 1, 2002, it changed its name to "Norwegian". It started offering cheap flights on busy routes.

In 2007, Norwegian bought a Swedish low-cost airline called FlyNordic. This made Norwegian the biggest low-cost airline in Scandinavia. As part of the deal, Finnair, which owned FlyNordic, got a small share in Norwegian.

Norwegian ordered many new Boeing 737-800 planes. These planes helped the airline grow a lot. The first new 737-800 arrived in January 2008.

Growing Fast and Long-Haul Flights (2010–2017)

In 2010, Norwegian announced plans to fly to New York City and Bangkok. This meant they needed bigger planes for long flights. They decided to lease new Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes.

In 2012, Norwegian made the largest aircraft order in European history. They ordered 22 Boeing 737-800s and 100 Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes. They also ordered 100 Airbus A320neos.

In 2013, Norwegian opened a new base at London Gatwick Airport. From there, they started new international flights to popular holiday spots in Europe. They competed with other big airlines on these routes.

By 2017, Norwegian had grown so much that it became Scandinavia's largest airline. They also started long-haul flights to Asia, like Singapore, from London. In 2017, Norwegian received its first Boeing 737 MAX plane.

Changes and Challenges (2018–2021)

To pay for its fast growth, Norwegian sold some of its shares in a bank it owned. It also sold some of its planes and then leased them back.

In 2018, Norwegian decided to focus more on making a profit than just growing. In 2019, they closed some crew bases and changed their plane orders.

On March 12, 2019, Norwegian stopped flying all its Boeing 737 MAX planes. This happened after two serious crashes involving this type of plane. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) advised airlines to ground them.

In July 2019, the founder and CEO, Bjørn Kjos, stepped down. The company's stock price had dropped a lot, partly because of the grounded 737 MAX planes.

COVID-19 Pandemic and Changes (2020)

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit Norwegian very hard. The airline canceled 85% of its flights and laid off 7,300 workers. Many of its staff subsidiaries went bankrupt.

Norwegian made plans to get a loan from the Norwegian government. They planned to reduce their active fleet to only seven Boeing 737-800 planes. These would fly only on domestic routes within Norway. They also planned to stop flights outside Norway until March 2021.

In May 2020, companies that leased planes to Norwegian became its biggest shareholders. This happened when Norwegian turned its debt into ownership shares.

In June 2020, Norwegian canceled all its remaining orders from Boeing. This included 92 Boeing 737 MAXs and five Boeing 787s.

In November 2020, the Norwegian government said it would not give the airline more money. Norwegian then sought bankruptcy protection in Ireland to help restructure the company. During this time, they again flew mostly domestic routes in Norway.

Reducing the Fleet and Ending Long-Haul Flights (2021)

In 2021, Norwegian continued to make big changes. They returned many planes, including their long-haul Boeing 787s, to the companies they leased them from.

On January 14, 2021, Norwegian announced it would stop all long-haul flights. They decided to focus only on a smaller network of flights within Europe.

In February 2021, Norwegian canceled orders for 53 Airbus A320neos and 30 Airbus A321LRs. In March 2021, they confirmed that their Boeing 737 MAX operations would not restart.

The airline also moved its EU-based flights to Norwegian Air Sweden. Norwegian planned to fly 50 Boeing 737-800s in 2021. They aimed to increase this to 68 planes in 2022.

In April 2021, Norwegian announced it would lay off many staff in Spain. This was because they closed most of their Spanish bases. In May 2021, Norwegian successfully finished its restructuring and left bankruptcy protection.

After Restructuring (2021–Present)

After restructuring, Norwegian's board of directors changed the CEO. Geir Karlsen became the new CEO. Two new operating companies were created: Norwegian Air Shuttle AOC AS and Norwegian Air Sweden AOC AB.

Flights began under these new companies on October 31, 2021. By the end of 2021, Norwegian agreed to lease 13 more Boeing 737-800s.

On December 1, 2021, the airline announced it would start flying the Boeing 737 MAX 8 again in 2022. They had previously stopped using these planes. In February 2022, they ordered ten more Boeing 737 MAX 8s. In May 2022, they planned to buy 50 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

In 2023, Norwegian announced it wanted to buy Widerøe. Widerøe is the largest regional airline in Norway. The purchase was completed in January 2024.

How Norwegian Air Shuttle is Run

Ownership and Company Structure

Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA shares are traded on the Oslo Stock Exchange. Before May 2020, the founder, Bjørn Kjos, was the largest shareholder. After new shares were given to companies that had loaned money to Norwegian, AerCap and BOC Aviation became the biggest owners.

The Norwegian Group includes the main company and its smaller companies in different countries. Norwegian also owns a telephone company called Call Norwegian AS. It also owns NAS Asset Management, which owns the Boeing 737-800 planes bought from Boeing.

Business Information

Here are some key facts about Norwegian Group's business over the years:

Leadership

The company is led by CEO Geir Karlsen. Marty St. George is the Chief Operating Officer (COO). The board of directors is led by Niels Smedegaard.

Bjørn Kjos, who founded the company, stepped down as CEO in 2019. He continued to be an adviser.

Head Office

Norwegian's main office is in a building called Diamanten. It is located in Fornebu, a town near Oslo. This building used to be the head office for other airlines like Braathens and SAS Norway.

Helping Others

Since 2007, Norwegian has worked with UNICEF Norway. They have flown four aid flights to countries affected by war. The company, its employees, and passengers all help raise money for these flights.

Passengers can donate when they buy tickets or food on board. Norwegian uses its planes, sometimes with a special UNICEF design, to deliver aid. In 2017, they used a Boeing 787 Dreamliner for a mission to Yemen.

Norwegian and UNICEF have completed five aid missions since 2014. They have delivered emergency help that they say has saved over 100,000 children's lives.

Where Norwegian Flies

Norwegian Air Shuttle flies to many places in Europe and North Africa. These include cities for business and places for holidays. As of January 2021, the airline flies to 104 destinations.

The busiest routes are within Scandinavia and to popular European cities. For example, the routes from Oslo to Bergen and Oslo to Trondheim have 15 flights each day. Norwegian's biggest operation outside Scandinavia is to London Gatwick, with up to 24 flights daily.

Past Long-Haul Flights

Norwegian started long-haul flights on May 30, 2013. These first flights went from Oslo and Stockholm to Bangkok and New York City. They used Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes for these longer journeys.

Over the years, Norwegian's long-haul flights grew. They flew to Asia and the Americas from different parts of Europe. A new company, Norwegian Air UK, was also set up to fly long-haul routes from London Gatwick.

Norwegian also started long-haul flights using Boeing 737s between Europe and North America in 2017. These flights ended in September 2019 after the Boeing 737 MAX groundings. All long-haul flights with Boeing 787s stopped in January 2021. This was due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On-Time Performance

Norwegian Air Shuttle was Europe's most on-time airline in October 2023. It had an on-time performance rate of 86.10%.

Norwegian Air Shuttle Fleet

A Norwegian Air Shuttle Boeing 737-800 plane.

A former Norwegian Air Shuttle Boeing 737-300, retired in 2015.

A former Norwegian Boeing 787-9 flown by Norwegian Long Haul, retired in 2021.

A former Norwegian Fokker 50 plane, retired in 2004.

Current Fleet

As of July 2024, Norwegian Air Shuttle and its related companies fly only Boeing 737 planes. Here's what their fleet looks like:

Planes Norwegian Used to Fly

Norwegian and its related companies have flown these planes in the past:

How the Fleet Changed Over Time

From 1993 to 2002, Norwegian only flew Fokker 50 propeller planes. They used these for short regional flights. By 2002, they had six of these planes. They stopped using Fokker 50s by the end of 2003 to focus on Boeing 737-300 jet planes.

For a short time, they also used a Boeing 737-500 while waiting for more 737-300s. After buying FlyNordic in 2007, Norwegian got eight McDonnell Douglas MD-80 planes. They stopped using these MD-80 planes two years later.

Plane Design (Livery)

Norwegian planes are mostly white with a bright red nose and a dark blue stripe. These are the same colors as the flag of Norway. The tail of the plane has a red tip and a dark blue stripe with the airline's website.

The rest of the tail is either plain white or shows pictures of important people from Europe and the Americas. These people are called "tail fin heroes." Norwegian has also used special designs to promote things like UNICEF and its frequent-flyer program.

Services on Board

The Boeing Sky interior on a Norwegian Boeing 737-800.

Norwegian's Boeing 737 planes have seats for 186 or 189 passengers. All seats are in economy class. The airline offers entertainment on screens above the seats. You can also stream movies and shows to your own devices. WiFi internet access is available too.

Since Norwegian is a low-cost airline, you pay extra for things like food, drinks, and checked bags.

Frequent-Flyer Program

Norwegian has a program for frequent flyers called Norwegian Reward. Passengers can earn points based on how much their ticket costs and the type of ticket. These points can be used for future flights.

Challenges and Issues

Customer Service Concerns

In 2014, Norwegian Air received many complaints from customers. A judge noted that they had never seen so many complaints for one airline before. Passengers also complained about not getting food, drinks, or blankets on long flights. These items were available to buy, but only with a credit card.

In August 2014, about 35,000 people faced flight delays with Norwegian. Some passengers even sued the airline for compensation. However, the tribunal mostly sided with Norwegian, and the airline only had to pay compensation in a few cases.

Worker Relations

Between 2011 and 2013, Norwegian Air Shuttle faced criticism for how it treated its employees.

The airline planned to open a base in Helsinki and hire pilots on short-term contracts in Estonia. The Norwegian Pilot's Union (NPU) took Norwegian to court over these contracts. The CEO at the time said Norwegian would no longer hire employees under Norwegian terms.

In 2012, Norwegian started using contract pilots for flights within Scandinavia. The NPU felt this went against labor rules. They sued Norwegian again.

In 2013, the NPU planned a strike. This was because Norwegian wanted pilots to move to other companies that were part of Norwegian. The union believed this was a way to weaken the pilots' ability to organize.

In December 2013, Norwegian asked its Swedish flight attendants to transfer to an outside staffing company or lose their jobs. The Swedish cabin-crew union managed to save the jobs of 53 employees. However, they were still unhappy with Norwegian's actions.

Accidents and Incidents

• On December 14, 2018, a Norwegian Boeing 737 MAX had a technical problem over Iran. The pilot landed safely at Shiraz International Airport. However, the plane was stuck there for 70 days. This was because spare parts were not available outside the United States, which had rules against sending technology to Iran. The plane finally flew out of Shiraz on February 22, 2019.

Images for kids

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  Norwegian Air Shuttle logo

See also

In Spanish: Norwegian Air Shuttle para niños