OSLO (NORWAY) – Norwegian Air will resume flights on 76 routes that were put on hold during the coronavirus outbreak. It has also decided to bring back into service 12 of its mothballed aircraft on top of the eight already flying, as European countries reopen and demand for flights goes up.
Airlines have been hit hard by the pandemic, which has put a stop to most international travel, forcing companies to seek help from governments.
“We’re getting back in the air with more planes and we’re reopening many of the routes which our customers have requested,” Chief Executive Jacob Schram said in a statement.
More than 300 pilots and 600 cabin crew from the company’s bases in Norway will operate 20 aircraft. As many as 200 pilots and 400 cabin crew will be brought back from layoffs, the budget carrier said.
Norwegian laid off about 7,300 staff, approximately 90% of its employees, after the spread of coronavirus.
On Tuesday Norwegian said it would resume flights outside Norway, announcing a single domestic route in Denmark. Meanwhile, Nordic rival SAS has also announced an expansion of service.
Norwegian completed a financial restructuring last month, handing control of the firm to its creditors, saying at the time it could wait until 2021 before resuming flights beyond Norway’s borders.
“The reopening of flights is the result of recent increased demand from customers and is also in line with other airlines across Europe that are also resuming flights,” Norwegian said.
The airline, which was instrumental in bringing Europe’s low-cost business model to the transatlantic market, has said it plans to reinvent itself in a scaled-down version with 110-120 aircraft, compared with almost 150 before the COVID-19 outbreak.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field