Norwegian Air Shuttle, the Oslo based budget airline, has signed a record-setting deal with both Airbus and Boeing for delivery of 222 new aircrafts worth 127 billion Norwegian Kroner (21 billion USD).
The order includes 122 aircrafts from Boeing (100 of the new Boeing 737 MAX8 and 22 Next-Generation 737-800 aircrafts) plus an additional 100 Airbus A320neo aircrafts from Airbus. The total purchase is the largest in European aviation history.
“Today is a historic day for Norwegian,” said CEO Bjørn Kjos.”The order is the largest ever in European aviation history and marks a major milestone in the company’s 10 year history. We have secured our fleet renewal for years to come and are very pleased with the agreements with both Airbus and Boeing.”
“Norwegian has now reached a size where we will benefit from having two suppliers, both in terms of ensuring adequate flight capacity, flexibility and competition between two manufacturers,” said Kjos.
“International air traffic will keep on growing in the years ahead and Norwegian is determined to be a strong, stable and attractive player in the airline industry. We will continue to provide our customers with quality at a low fare and live up to our vision that everyone should afford to fly. The new aircraft are win-win for our passengers, the environment and the company’s costs. As we intend to replace every aircraft after seven years of operation, it is mandatory that we plan at least 10 to 20 years ahead. We will sell or rent out our older aircraft in order to keep a young fleet”.
“Norwegian’s order of 42 new Boeing 737-800 aircraft in 2007 was by many viewed as a bold investment. History has, however, shown that it was a necessary move to ensure our competitiveness and reduce costs. This order has been extended several times since 2007, proving that our need for aircraft has been far greater than we anticipated five years ago,” said Kjos.
