Norwegian's figures for the first half of the year show that the company is still facing difficult times. However, booking trends are brightening.

Norwegian's operating income in the first half of the year fell by 92 percent compared to the same period in 2020, to NOK 591 million. The company's operating profit (EBIT) was around minus SEK 2.2 billion, which was an improvement from minus SEK 5.1 billion in the same period the previous year.

The airline's operations were of course strongly affected by the corona pandemic and all the restrictions. The focus during the period was on the company's reconstruction, which was concluded with a capital injection of 6 billion kronor. In total, just under 600,000 passengers flew with Norwegian during the first half of the year, compared to 5.3 million during the same period the year before. 

At the end of the reporting period, Norwegian had a fleet of 51 aircraft. During the first half of the year, only 32 of them were in the air.

Norwegian does not provide any forecasts for the future, but CEO Geir Karlsen says he is cautiously optimistic that eased travel restrictions will have a positive impact on travel.

”"Forward bookings continue to increase in the wake of eased travel restrictions and the rollout of international vaccination programs. We expect to see this trend continue throughout the remaining months of 2021 and into 2022," says Geir Karlsen.

On the Oslo Stock Exchange, Norwegian has had a poor performance almost regardless of which time period you choose to focus on in recent years. The company's largest owner is now shipping billionaire John Fredriksen, who holds 16.7 percent of the shares.

Source: di.se