Norwegian has reported it carried more than 1.6 million passengers in February 2015, an increase of 7% compared to the same month last year. The load factor was 84.8% in February, up 5.5 percentage points.
The total passenger traffic (RPK) increased by 17% and the total capacity (ASK) increased by 9% in February.
The airline claims the traffic growth is due to expansion in the European market and growth in Norwegian’s long-haul operations. However, it added that the strike among Scandinavian pilots organized in Parat/Norwegian Pilot Union has led to a decline in ticket sales for March, especially on domestic routes in Scandinavia.
“2015 got off to a good start until the pilot strike hit us, which has influenced our traffic figures. The situation is deeply regrettable. Although our traffic is running as normal on our long-haul operation and from our bases outside Scandinavia, the strike still affects the entire company,” says CEO Bjørn Kjos.
Norwegian operated 99.7% of its scheduled flights in February, while 81.7% departed on time.