Norwegian Air Shuttle has today announced the signing of an agreement for the purchase of 10 Boeing 737-800s, which are already part of the carrier’s leased fleet. The purchase is expected to be completed during the first quarter of 2025.
On Monday (March 3, 2025). Norwegian Air Shuttle announced that they have entered into an agreement for the purchase 10 Boeing 737-800s, which are currently part of the airline’s leased fleet. The deal is expected to close during the first quarter of 2025. Owning a larger part of their fleet will offer Norwegian more predictability and financial flexibility as part of their long-term growth plans, with the added benefit of lowering costs.
In Monday’s announcement, Norwegian’s CEO, Geir Karlsen, said,
“The terms we have reached are good for Norwegian, and the agreement fits well with our long-term fleet strategy. These aircraft are already an important part of our fleet and will continue to operate on key parts of our route network. The purchase of the aircraft is expected to reduce costs in the short and long term, in addition to providing additional flexibility when planning our fleet and route network going forward.”
The aircraft purchase will initially be financed from the company’s cash reserves, As Norwegian secures long-term financing. Upon completion of the agreement, Norwegian expects to record a one-time gain of around NOK 570 million (US $51 million). After financing costs, Norwegian expects the deal to save approximately NOK 200 million (US $17.9 million) annually.
Norwegian Air Shuttle was established in September 2002 with four domestic routes and has since carried over 300 million passengers. The airline Group, including Widerøe, is the largest in Norway and currently employs approximately 8,200 team members. Most employees are based in Norway in Oslo, Trondheim, Bergen and Stavanger, or at the company’s head office at Fornebu in Bærum. The carrier also has offices in Riga and Barcelona, as well as bases in Alicante and Malaga.
The Group’s fleet, including Widerøe, now totals 135 aircraft, with 86 Boeing 737-800 and 737-8 MAX jets in the Norwegian fleet, and 46 De Havilland Canada Dash-8 and three Embraer E190-E2s in Widerøe’s fleet. Widerøe Ground Handling also serves 41 Norwegian airports. Norwegian currently offers affordable flights on a short-haul network of destinations in the Nordic countries and to key European destinations. Norwegian aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 45 percent by 2030.
Source: Norwegian Air Shuttle/Mynewsdesk