Norse Atlantic has unveiled its initial schedules for summer 2023.
The carrier will operate to four destinations from Oslo: New York JFK, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles and London Gatwick.
There will still be only two destinations from London Gatwick: Oslo and New York JFK.
From Berlin, there will be one destination: New York JFK.
This is the first round of schedules and I suspect Norse is waiting to see how the transatlantic market develops before making further commitments.
Last month Norse reported that its load factor network-wide was 60 per cent. This is an unhealthy load factor for a long-haul budget airline. Why?
Firstly, October is not low season (this begins in November) and secondly because any budget airline has to have very high load factors if it is to make a profit.
These initial schedules are a far cry from what Norse had been hoping to operate. Last June we reported that Norse was outlining plans for “seven US routes from Gatwick.”
Meanwhile, Berliners will be disappointed that their non-stop Los Angeles route is not expected to return as planned in 2023. Germany’s Aerotelegraph reports that Norse’s plans to resume Los Angeles next summer “are shaking now.”
This would be a blow for Berlin’s new airport which hardly gained any gained any new long-haul routes since it opened (compared to those at former Tegel).
A Norse spokesperson told Aerotelegraph, “We are still evaluating which goals [destinations] make sense.
“The fact that no decision has been made regarding Los Angeles doesn’t necessarily give reason for no hope.”
This news illustrates that even aviation’s best plans are subject to change in these uncertain times.
