Summer bookings for the airline Norwegian look good and the company has enough pilots for the season, CEO Bjørn Kjos told Reuters.

This announcement comes after the Norwegian airline had problems with a pilot shortage last summer and was forced to hire extra planes and staff, which weighed on the bottom line. Norwegian has been in hot water lately when British IAG, which owns British Airways, bought into the company.

There has also been speculation that IAG is preparing a bid for Norwegian. According to information to Reuters, Ryanair is said to have approached Norwegian already last year with an interest in buying around 20 percent of the shares. ”I can confirm that Ryanair has shown interest in Norwegian Air, and I have raised it with the board,” says Bjørn Kjos.

A Ryanair spokesperson declined to comment on the matter.

Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary says the company has never made a bid for Norwegian, neither before nor after IAG contacted the Norwegian airline.

He tells Bloomberg News.

Reuters reported earlier on Thursday, citing sources, that Ryanair approached Norwegian with a proposal to buy about 20 percent of the company last year. Norwegian's CEO confirmed that Ryanair had expressed interest last year and that he had brought it to the board at that time, without specifying a date. Norwegian's shares rose after the statements.

Now Michael O'Leary tells Bloomberg that Norwegian is "desperate to generate" bidding interest. Furthermore, Reuters now reports that a spokesperson for the Irish airline denies that any contact has been made.

Last fall, reports emerged that Ryanair and Norwegian were in talks about cooperation. Michael O'Leary said at the time that his Ryanair had called off the discussions due to uncertainty about Norwegian's financial stability, something he has pointed out in the media several times since then.

In April, Anglo-Iberian airline owner IAG bought nearly 5 percent of Norwegian and it has since emerged that IAG had been in contact with Norwegian about a possible bid for the entire company but that the Norwegian airline had rejected it twice.

Michael O'Leary said as recently as earlier this week, "investing in Norwegian is like trying to catch a falling knife.".

Shortly after 3 p.m., Norwegian's stock had retreated to a 1 percent gain, after rising nearly 10 percent earlier on Thursday when the first Reuters interview was published.

Source: finwire