Norwegian Air plans summer capacity hike as carryings increase

Norwegian will reopen its Helsinki base this summer, from which it will offer flights to 27 European destinations – including a six-times-weekly Gatwick service (daily, excluding Saturdays).

It also plans to operate a twice-weekly Manchester-Trondheim service, starting in mid-August.

“We are particularly pleased load factor has remained above 80% despite the introduction of significantly more capacity in March," said Norwegian chief executive Geir Karlsen.

"Booking figures have improved throughout recent weeks and we are pleased to see this continued upward trend in the market. We are seeing a busy Easter travel period with many travellers and several full flights.

"Towards the summer, we will reopen and introduce new destinations, and our customers can now choose from almost 280 routes in Europe."

Norwegian flew an average of 48 aircraft in March, and expects this to grow to 70 in the summer.