Norwegian Air Shuttle has welcomed two Boeing 737 MAX 8s into its fleet. The first flight to be operated by the aircraft was this morning's service from Copenhagen to Barcelona, marking the start of the summer schedule.

This summer, the airline will operate over 270 routes across the Nordics and Europe. Oslo will see the highest number of direct routes by Norwegian, with 85, followed by Copenhagen (56), Stockholm Arlanda (54), and Helsinki (27).

The new MAX arrivals are in addition to eight Boeing 737-800 NGs joining the fleet, bringing the total size of the airline’s active fleet to 70 – 68 Boeing 737-800 NGs and two Boeing 737 MAX 8s.

Norwegian and the Boeing 737 MAX

This is not the first time the Boeing 737 MAX 8 has flown in Norwegian’s distinctive red and white livery. The aircraft first entered into service with the airline in August 2018 but was later grounded in March 2019 following the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes.

Norwegian 737 MAX
Norwegian's previous Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft were grounded in March 2019. Photo: Norwegian

At one point, Norwegian had 18 Boeing 737 MAX 8s in its fleet, operating flights across Europe and even several Transatlantic routes. However, as part of the airline’s restructuring plan as a result of the pandemic, they were all returned to the lessors.

Norwegian went on to say that it would never fly the Boeing 737 MAX 8 again. However, the airline doubled back on this decision in February 2022 when it announced an order that included 10 Boeing 737 MAX 8s.

An integral role in Norwegian’s future

The Boeing 737 MAX 8, seating 189 passengers, now forms an integral part of Norwegian's summer schedule. The twinjet will also help the airline to achieve its ambitious target to reduce its carbon emissions by 45% by 2030, compared to 2010.

Norwegian 737 MAX - Sir Freddie Laker at Edinburgh
Photo: Norwegian

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In a statement, Andreas Hjørnholm, Director of Communications for Norwegian in the Nordics, shared the following about the carrier's schedule:

“We are happy to commence our summer program for 2022 with the introduction of a new, modern aircraft into our fleet. The new aircraft allows us to use upwards of 14 percent less fuel, reducing fuel consumption and thus climate impact on our flights. We see that the demand for air travel has returned after two years of authority mandated travel restrictions and we look forward to welcoming passengers on board.”

Norwegian recently announced that it was reopening its crew base in Helsinki, employing more than 150 pilots and cabin crew. And in a further sign of recovery, February 2022 saw the carrier achieve its highest ticket sales since the start of the pandemic.

After what has been an especially painful couple of years for the airline, the future is finally starting to look a little brighter for Norwegian.

What are your thoughts about Norwegian's new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft? Are you looking to fly with the airline across its network this summer? Let us know what you think of the carrier and its plans in the comment section.