Norwegian overtakes British Airways to the United States

Bjørn KjosNorwegian chief Bjørn Kjos.Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB scanpix

Norwegian is now the largest non-American airline on transatlantic routes to and from the New York area, fresh traffic figures are showing.

The figures from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey show that over the last twelve months, Norwegian has transported 1.67 million passengers to and from airports in the New York area, writes Flysmart24.no.

British Airways, on the other hand, has ferried 1.63 million passengers to and from the airports of John F. Kennedy, Newark and LaGuardia. According to the New York Times, in July 2017, Norwegian only flew 750,000 passengers to and from New York.

Well done

“This is really well done and shows that Norwegian’s  long-term low-cost approach was not a crazy but an ingenious plan,” says airtravel analyst Hans Jørgen Elnæs in Winair to Flysmart24.no.

The routes between New York and Europe are considered to be one of the world’s toughest competitive routes for civil aviation.

“That more travellers choose Norwegian rather than traditional companies that have served this world metropolis for decades, show that customers want low prices, award winning service and the latest, most environmentally friendly aircraft when crossing the Atlantic. More travellers are good news for the tourism industry in both the US and Europe, because it contributes to more jobs and economic growth, says Lasse Sandaker-Nielsen, Communications Manager in Norwegian to NTB.

Rapid development
Norwegian started its first US route from Oslo Airport to  JFK airport in the US in May 2012. Since then, the company has quickly built up new York routes from other cities.

British Airways is owned by the British-Spanish aviation group, IAG, who has long been interested in acquiring Norwegian, who has rejected two bids from IAG already.

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today