Low-fare carrier Norwegian has confirmed it is implementing a series of cost-cutting measures for 2019 as it reported a 13 per cent increase in passenger numbers in 2018.
The airline carried more than 37 million passengers, though its load factor was down nearly 2 per cent to 85.8 per cent.
Passenger numbers were boosted by the launch of 35 new routes during 2018, while Norwegian took delivery of 25 new aircraft. The carrier also began operating a subsidiary in Argentina and increased frequency on a number of popular routes.
However, confirming media speculation that the airline is running into financial troubles, Norwegian has confirmed that it faced “strong competition and a high oil price” in 2018, which has forced it to implement a series of undisclosed cost-cutting measures to improve its performance in 2019.