Budget carrier Norwegian expects there will be significantly less risk of travel restrictions next summer thanks to vaccination progress, allowing it to expand its schedule.
The airline said its flight schedule for summer 2022, published on August 13, 2021, will see it offer 259 routes from the Nordics.
“With this summer schedule we will continue to deliver on our strategy of investing in Norway and the Nordic region,” commented Geir Karlsen, CEO of Norwegian. “In recent months, we have noticed an increased demand from customers, and we look forward to welcoming them on board to their favourite Nordic destinations.”
Norwegian exited bankruptcy protection in May 2021, emerging as a smaller carrier focused on European routes. Rapid expansion into low-cost long-haul flying had resulted in it racking up debt and getting into financial difficulty.
Karslen said Norwegian was well equipped for 2022, though still expected to be affected by the pandemic to some extent.
“We have considerable flexibility in the use of our aircraft, and after the restructuring we have lower debt, an adapted fleet and organisation, and we have received new capital. It has been a tough time, but the result is that we are stronger now than before the pandemic,” said Karlsen.
In July 2021, the carrier operated 33 aircraft, 50% more than the previous month, and said travel to northern Norway was especially popular. Its newly slimmed down fleet comprises 51 aircraft in total.