Travel & Accommodation
Major order from Norwegian
Low cost airline Norwegian has announced that it has ordered 222 new aircraft from both Boeing and Airbus, at a total cost of NOK 127 bilion, to be delivered from 2016 onward. Norwegian also has an option for buying another 150 planes from the saame manufacturers.
According to a Boeing spokesman, this is the largest order they have ever received from a European airline. The order is for 22 Boeing 737-800, 100 Boeing 737-MAX8 and 100 Airbus A320Neo. Norwegian Chief Bjørn Kjos says a modern fleet is necessary in order to keep costs down. He also believes that Norwegian's future growth will take place outside Norway.
Aviation analysts believe Norwegian will be one of Europe's largest airlines within a short time. Norwegian has grown from a fleet of four aircraft when it started in 2002, to 62 aircraft today.
Source: Norway Post
Eastern Airways to launch first service from Glasgow
Eastern Airways already offers services to Stavanger from Aberdeen and Newcastle. Now Eastern Airways is to launch its first international service from Glasgow next month.
The regional airline, which specialises in routes serving the oil and gas industry, will operate three flights a week to Stavanger in Norway from 12 September.
Eastern Airways already offers services to Stavanger from Aberdeen and Newcastle.
The airline first entered the Norwegian market in 2007.
Kay Ryan, Eastern Airways' commercial director, said: "A new convenient route to Stavanger from Glasgow will not only benefit offshore workers who live in central Scotland, but also Norwegian contractors and businesses with links in Glasgow and the surrounding region.
Source: BBC
New cruise record for Oslo
Oslo has become a popular destination for international cruise ships. This summer a record 178 cruise vessels will call at Oslo Harbour, with a total of 320,000 passengers, Aftenposten reports. The previous record of 156 ships and 270,000 passengers is from 2006.
Source: Norway Post
More passengers for SAS
The total number of passengers carried by Scandinavian airline SAS in February increased by 5.3 per cent, compared with the same month last year. The SAS Group carried 2.0 million passengers in February. The passenger load factor decreased by 0.4 per cent in the same period, to 66.5%, according to a company press release. It says that the market remains unpredictable particularly yield development due to overcapacity in certain markets. A recovery has been noted on Asian routes, domestic and Intrascandinavian routes.
Popular Newcastle-Bergen Service is Back for Summer
Eastern Airways' popular Bergen service from Newcastle International Airport recommences on Monday (28 March 2011) for the summer season.
The UK regional airline re-introduces the daily weekday non-stop service with a 10.30 departure from Newcastle, which arrives in Bergen at 1.35pm local time. Flights leave Bergen at 2.30pm and land in Newcastle at 3.35pm.
The busy heliport at Bergen Flesland Airport serves the Norwegian offshore oil and gas industry. Norway's second largest city is also the gateway to the fjords and the air services will link with onward cruises.
Kay Ryan, Eastern Airways' commercial director, said: "The re-introduction of our Bergen summer service demonstrates our continued support for Newcastle, which is our second largest base in the UK. Offshore workers and business travellers will be able to take advantage of this convenient non-stop service. Bergen has had strong links with the north east for many years and is also a popular short break destination for those visiting the city."
Chris Sanders, aviation development director at Newcastle International Airport, said: "We welcome the return of flights to Bergen for the summer schedule. This Scandinavian destination is a key market for inbound tourism. Norway is a beautiful country and the city of Bergen makes a wonderful short break destination with many of the city's excellent bars and restaurants located around the stunning harbour. Access to this captivating city provides a gateway for cruises to the majestic fjords and to spectacular mountain scenery for outdoor enthusiasts. We hope it proves a popular choice with our customers."
Mike Pedersen from the north east based Norwegian Collaboration Centre, said: “We have a backlog of companies from the UK wishing to travel to Bergen, to build up their business activities. We are looking forward to using Eastern Airways' convenient connection from Newcastle to Bergen, to access the £16 billion per year spend on the Norwegian oil and gas industry."
Eastern Airways has been operating scheduled services from Newcastle since 2003 and also offers services to the Norwegian city of Stavanger. The airline also provides day return services to Aberdeen, Birmingham and Cardiff from Newcastle.
Passengers flying with Eastern Airways benefit from 30 minute check-in to boarding times on international flights and have access to a fast track security channel at Newcastle to avoid any queues at security search.
There are no additional costs for check-in, baggage and all passengers are offered onboard complimentary drinks and snacks.
Eastern Airways, which was formed 13 years ago, initially built its network of scheduled services up the east coast of the UK focusing on the North Sea offshore industry. The airline is the UK's second largest regional carrier and has a fleet of 30 aircraft flying from 21 airports in the UK, Ireland, Norway and France.
Norwegians switch to public transport
Norwegians use their cars less, and make more use of public transport travelling to and from work. This is shown by a new survey made by the Institute of Transport Economics (TØI).
The reduced use of private cars is highest in Oslo, where four out of ten now use public transport to and from work, according to TØI.
The survey also shows that nearly 50 per cent of all Norwegian households now have at least two cars.
Source: NorwayPost
Norwegian fastest growing airline
-fare airline Norwegian carried 21.2 per cent more passengers in 2010 than in the previous year, and is the fastest growing airline in Europe, accoording to a survey made by Check-In.
Norwegian's press spokesman Karl Peter Gombrii says Norwegian had 18,000 more flights last year, compared to 2009, and carried a total of 13 million passengers in 2010.
German airline Lufthansa had a passenger growth of 17.2 per cent in 2010.
Source: NorwayPost
Norwegian stops highjacker
A man who tried to highjaclk a Turkish airliner enroute from Oslo to Istanbul late Wednesday evening was overpowered by a Norwegian passenger, and the plane with 59 passengers landed safely.
Fifty minutes before landing, the man cried out that he had a bomb on his body and demanded that the plane return to Oslo.
After landing, the police searched the plane, but no explosives were found.
Some reports say the arrested man was mentally unstable.
Source: Norway Post
Best quarter result ever for Norwegian
Low fare airline Norwegian has presented a pre-tax profit of NOK 733 million for the third quarter, which is the best result in a single quarter in the company´s history.
Compared to the same quarter last year the unit cost is significantly reduced and the number of passengers has increased by as much as 25 percent.
The company carried more than 3.8 million passengers in the third quarter, 757,000 more than the same period in 2009. The total turnover was more than NOK 2.8 billion, an increase of 25 percent. The production increased by 34 percent.
The load factor was a solid 80 percent despite the considerable capacity boost. The unit cost is down six percent since the third quarter of 2009 and is now at .41 NOK including fuel.
The company´s third quarter result is also influenced by the NOK 175 million compensation paid by Scandinavian Airlines following industrial espionage.
”We are pleased to report the best quarterly result in Norwegian´s history. Lower unit cost is necessary to further boost our competitiveness. If granted the same conditions as our competitors by the Scandinavian governments we are in a good position to meet the head-on competition. By continually phasing in several brand new and more environmentally friendly aircraft, our costs will continue to decrease and our passengers will experience increased in-flight comfort. When our 737-300 fleet is discontinued in 2012 we will have a cost-efficient and unitary fleet," said CEO of Norwegian, Bjørn Kjos.
Source: Norway Post
Air Travel: Increased traffic for SAS
SAS airlines carried 2.2 million passengers in August. This is an increase by 7 per cent, compared with August last year. The load factor improved to 78.2%, record high for August.
The currency adjusted yield for Scandinavian Airlines in July 2010 was down by 3.4%, in line with expectations. According to the airline, the change is caused by overcapacity and price pressure in some markets.
Scandinavian Airlines continued its streak as Europe's most punctual airline, but for August, the airline managed to grab the position as the world's most punctual airline.
Source: NorwayPost
More passengers fly Norwegian
Low fare airline Norwegian carried 1 224 958 million passengers in June. This was a new record for a single month, and a 25 per cent increase compared with the same month last year.
Norwegian is particularly pleased that the new record came in a month when a strike by security guards affected several Norwegian airports.
The airline reports that 90 per cent of the June flights were booked via the Internet
Source: Norway Post
Ryanair reinstates Oslo service from Newcastle
Flights between Tyneside and Norway are to be reinstated, a low-cost airline has announced.
Ryanair will be flying from Newcastle to Oslo-Rygge - about 31 miles (50kms) south of the city - three times a week from May.
The budget airline used to operate a similar route but axed it in 2007.
The company said it had been working to strengthen its relationship with the airport and it hoped the move could bring up to £7m into the local economy.
Source: BBC
Western Norway the world's best travel destination
If the tourism and hospitality companies and developers in Rogaland, Hordaland, Sogn og Fjordane and Møre og Romsdal Counties have anything to say about it, the Norwegian winter will soon become a major tourist attraction and Western Norway will be the world's best travel destination.
Source: Research Council of Norway
New connection links Durham Tees Valley with Bergen
Eastern Airways will link Durham Tees Valley Airport with Bergen, offering an early morning connection to Norway's second largest city.
From Monday 29 March 2010, early morning daily weekday flights from Durham Tees Valley via Aberdeen provide an alternative option to Bergen from the North East.
Weekday flights with the UK regional airline depart Durham Tees Valley at 6.40am via Aberdeen, arriving in Bergen at 11.10am local time. Services leave Bergen at 2.40pm arriving in Durham Tees Valley at 5.10pm local time.
Roger Hage, Eastern Airways' ground services manager, said: “The north east has had strong trade links with Norway for many years. This new connection from Durham Tees Valley allows us to provide an alternative early morning link from the North East, enabling passengers to reach Bergen just after 11am.
“This early morning departure from the north east is aimed primarily at business travellers."
Richard Whitehouse, aviation project manager for Peel Airports, said: “I'm sure that the introduction of this quick and convenient link will be warmly welcomed by business people, both in the Tees Valley and in Norway.
Source: Durham Tees Valley Airport
More Norwegians travel by air
An increasing number of Norwegians travel by air. In January, just over 2.87 million passengers travelled to and from AVINOR's airports, an increase by 4.2 per cent compared with January last year.
The traffic to destination abroad increased the most, by 5.9 per cent. Domestic traffic increased by 3.6 per cent, according to Avinor.
The number of passengers travelling via Oslo Airport Gradermoen in January increased by 6.2 per cent, compared to the same month last year. Here the increase to domestic and foreign destinations was nearly equal.
Source: Norway Post
Norway air fares dropped 10 per cent
The cost of traveling by air in Norway has dropped by 10 per cent during the past year. In December it cost 20 per cent less to fly than in the same month the previous year.
The airlines have the last few months competed for passengers, and that is good news for the travellers, says marketing chief of the travel agency HRG Nordic, Simen Johannessen to NRK.
He believes the demand for the expensive air tickets will continue to drop in the coming year.
Source: Norway Post
New flight between Newcastle and Bergen
Eastern Airways is further expanding its network of routes to Norway with the launch of two new routes to Bergen from Newcastle and Aberdeen on Monday 5 October 2009.
The new Bergen routes are the latest additions to the UK regional airline's Norwegian network, which includes Stavanger services from Aberdeen and Newcastle, and Oslo flights from Aberdeen.
Chris Holliday, Eastern Airways chief operating officer, said: "Bergen is a major centre for the oil and gas industry and both our convenient, non-stop Newcastle and Aberdeen services will be of benefit to business travellers. Norway's second largest city is also the gateway to the world famous fjords and our new services provide the ideal link for tourists taking short breaks."
Source: www.easternairways.no