Some airlines did not make it through the pandemic. Some, like low-cost carrier Norwegian, held on by the skin of their teeth but have emerged on the other side with a different structure. As the airline pivoted back to its short- and medium-haul roots, it also streamlined its fleet of aircraft. It now operates only one single type - the Boeing 737-800.
Already burdened by huge debts at the start of 2020, popular budget carrier Norwegian was one of the European airlines hit hardest by the crisis that followed. Denied aid from the Swedish government on the basis of its poor financial performance, the Scandinavian carrier's fate hung in the balance over the course of several months. After a process of restructuring, the 'New Norwegian' began to take shape.
As the owners of the at times perhaps overly ambitious LCC scaled down operations in an attempt to try and salvage what they could, the airline let go of its priced Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Long-haul operations were scrapped from the schedule as the airline returned to its profitable European short-haul leisure destination roots.
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No more MAX
In June last year, Norwegian canceled orders for 97 Boeing jets - 92 Boeing 737 MAX and five 787 Dreamliners. Meanwhile, in March this year, Norwegian also announced it would be letting go of all of the 18 MAX 8 planes of which it had already taken delivery. This leaves Norwegian in tried-and-tested LCC waters - with a single-type fleet consisting of 51 Boeing 737-800 jets.
New entities holding half of the planes each
The planes remaining in Norwegian's fleet have an average age of 7.5 years. According to the fleet database of ch-aviation, twenty-five of them are registered to Norwegian Air Shuttle AOC, whereas 24 belong to Norwegian Air Sweden AOC. These entities with an added AOC (Air Operator Certificate) to the name were formed after the restructuring process, and the aircraft were transferred to them in the spring of 2021.
One plane still remains registered with Norwegian Air Norway and one with Norwegian Air Shuttle. However, Norwegian Air Argentina, Norwegian Air International, Norwegian Air UK, and Norwegian Air Long Haul are no more.
Ownership and bases
Out of the 24 belonging to Norwegian Air Sweden AOC, the airline owns 13 outright. The rest are leased from various sources, including BOC Aviation, FPG Amentum, and SMBC Aviation Capital. The oldest of the jets is just over 12 years, and the youngest is 3.7.
Norwegian Air Shuttle AOC owns only five of its aircraft. The remaining 20 belong to a diverse set of lessors such as KDAC Aircraft Leasing, Peregrine Aviation, Minsheng Financial Leasing, Nomura Babcock & Brown, Doric NAS Limited, and Wings Capital Partners.
Norwegian Air Sweden AOC bases aircraft at Oslo Gardemoen, Copenhagen Kastrup, and Stockholm Arlanda. Meanwhile, Norwegian Air Shuttle AOC focuses on domestic operations in Norway and bases its planes in Oslo, Bergen Billund, Stavanger, and Trondheim. The 737-800s in Norwegian's fleet have 186 and 189 seats in a one-class configuration. They all feature Boeing Sky Interiors and are configured for in-flight WiFi.