Last month, Norse Atlantic was granted permission to operate direct UK-US flights, and will go up against British Airways, JetBlue and Delta Air Lines flying to New York JFK from Gatwick airport.
Previously, Norse’s UK-US flights had to operate via its base in Oslo, where the airline is headquartered. Chief executive Bjorn Tore Larsen said the carrier’s decision last month to reduce its winter schedule and focus on its "core routes" had put it in a "more stronger position".
As a result, load factor increased to 60% in October, up four percentage points month-on-month. Norse carried 60,836 passengers in October, a three percentage point month-on-month increase despite a 9% reduction in the number of flights it operated to 307.
It expects the changes to its winter schedule to further boost load factor and yield over the coming months. "We are very pleased to see certain core routes on our current network are now reaching 85% load factor, with forward bookings also continuing to show a positive trend," Larsen added.
Norse said: "Norse Atlantic is pleased to confirm the core summer 2023 schedule will be announced later this week allowing customers to book ahead for their summer travels. Further destinations will be announced in December and the New Year, expanding the airline’s summer 2023 network.
