Norwegian Group with strong third quarter results
The Norwegian Group today reports an operating result of NOK 2,728 million for the third quarter of 2026. The figures demonstrate the group's ability to deliver strong financial results underpinned by a focus on cost control and robust operational performance in the busiest travel season of the year.
For the third quarter of 2026, Norwegian Group delivered an operating result (EBIT) of NOK 2,728 million, corresponding to an operating margin of 21.4 percent. Profit before tax (EBT) amounted to NOK 2,520 million for the quarter. The liquidity position was NOK 11.2 billion at quarter-end, up NOK 0.7 billion from the end of the third quarter of 2025, after the final repayment of the company's last outstanding bond in September.
"The third quarter was characterised by strong operational performance across the group during the peak summer travel season and a continued focus on cost control. Widerøe continues to uphold world class punctuality, now five months in a row, and was highlighted by Cirium in July. Norwegian was named among Europe's top five punctual airlines in both August and September. This highlights the great work across both airlines with the continued focus on operational performance. While the current macroeconomic climate is uncertain, booking trends remain encouraging with the number of sold tickets significantly higher than at the same time last year," says Geir Karlsen, CEO of Norwegian.
The Norwegian Group had 8.75 million passengers in the third quarter, of which 7.64 million were passengers of Norwegian and 1.1 million of Widerøe. Capacity (ASK) for Norwegian increased by 5 percent in the third quarter, while Widerøe's capacity increased by 2 percent. The quarterly load factor for Norwegian was 88.5 percent, up 0.2 percentage points from the same period last year. For Widerøe, the quarterly load factor was 76.1 percent.
Punctuality, share of flights departing on schedule, showed solid improvements for both airlines. Punctuality improved to 80.7 percent for Norwegian, up 2.9 percentage points from last year, and to 93.5 percent for Widerøe, up 1.7 percentage points. Regularity was 99.3 percent and 97.9 percent, respectively, with regularity at both airlines negatively impacted by the air traffic controller strike in Norway in August.
Norwegian Reward reaches milestone In September, Norwegian Reward introduced five new status levels, simplifying how frequent flyers track and earn benefits with Norwegian and Widerøe. The update unlocks tailored benefits for every level, supporting the award-winning loyalty programme as it surpassed 10 million members.
"Surpassing 10 million members in Norwegian Reward is a major milestone, and the introduction of five new status levels together with our joint loyalty platform Spenn further strengthens our offering across the Nordics," says Geir Karlsen, CEO of Norwegian.
Looking ahead into the upcoming winter season, Norwegian has reduced monthly capacity by between 25 and 40 percent compared to October 2026. Production for the winter season is forecasted to increase marginally compared to the same period last year.
The forecasted production (ASK) is for the full year of 2026, is 2 percent for both Norwegian and Widerøe. Norwegian is progressing well with its profitability initiatives under Program X, which are on track to deliver annual recurring underlying profit improvements more than NOK 1.25 billion by the end of 2026. Underlying unit cost excluding fuel for Norwegian is forecasted to remain unchanged in 2026 compared to 2025.
The Norwegian Group fleet comprised 148 aircraft at quarter-end, with 98 aircraft in the Norwegian fleet, including 39 latest-technology Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft following the delivery of three new aircraft during the quarter, and 50 in the Widerøe fleet.
The regulatory process for the acquisition of Nordic Leisure Travel Group (NLTG) is progressing as planned, and subject to EU competition clearance, the transaction is still targeted to close by year-end.
For detailed information, please see attached report and presentation.
For further information, please contact: Jesper M. Hatletveit, Investor Relations at Norwegian, Tel: +47 906 64 401
Fornebu, 28 October 2026 Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA
This information is considered to be inside information pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. This stock exchange announcement was published by Jesper M. Hatletveit, VP Investor Relations at Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA, on 28 October 2026 at 08:00 CET.