Norse Atlantic is considering adding more transatlantic flights after Indian carrier Indigo announced it was returning all six of its leased aircraft.
CEO Eivind Roald said the airline sees ‘an opportunity to increase capacity on our own network in the coming months’, which may include flights to New York and Orlando.
Norse posted record results in July, with revenue per seat up 27% year-on-year and planes 98.5% full.
However, it continued to trim capacity as it responded to persistently high fuel prices, with available seats down 31% year-on-year.
In July, Norse operated 248 scheduled flights in its own network, compared with 604 in the same month last year, while ACMI and charter flying increased to 247 flights from 54.
The update comes after Norse confirmed it is pressing ahead with a strategic review that could result in a sale, merger or partnership.
Earlier this month, IndiGo ended its damp lease agreement with Norse, returning six aircraft with crew, which it has used to launch flights from Europe, including Heathrow and Manchester, to India.
The low-cost carrier citied ‘challenging operating environment triggered by the ongoing geopolitical tensions.’
Eivind said: “Norse delivered record unit revenue for the second consecutive month on the back of our attractive product, strong customer demand for direct transatlantic routes and our highly popular FIFA World Cup flights. This was reflected in full flights and higher average fares in our own network, while ACMI/charter utilization remained stable.
“Our airline on demand strategy enables us to respond quickly to market changes. We leveraged this positioning when we rapidly launched dedicated flights from London and Oslo to the US, flying English and Norwegian fans to follow their national teams during the FIFA World Cup.
“With fuel prices slowly trending downward and demand remaining strong, we see an opportunity to increase capacity on our own network in the coming months, which may include adding more US flights to New York and Orlando.”
