Norse Atlantic Airways (N0, Oslo Gardermoen) “is in the process of securing longer-term agreements for further charter and wet-lease operations which will provide additional revenue during this winter season and beyond into winter 2023,” having earlier scaled down its scheduled network for the winter season in line with demand, it said in a statement.

According to the ch-aviation fleets module, Norse Atlantic operates a fleet of nine dry-leased B787-9s, three of which are currently inactive and stored at Oslo Gardermoen, while one more of the type is due for delivery.

The carrier has been wet-leasing two of the Boeing widebodies since December 30 to TUI fly Nordic, initially from Stockholm Arlanda to Phuket, a favourite destination in winter for sun-starved Swedes, and subsequently from Stockholm to Krabi and from Gothenburg Landvetter to Phuket.

Norse Atlantic Airways also continues to sublease five aircraft - three B787-8s and two B787-9s - to Air Europa (UX, Palma de Mallorca) in an agreement lasting for at least 18 months from the second quarter of 2022.

The airline’s first flight linked Oslo with New York JFK on June 14, 2022, and this January its scheduled network also connects both London Gatwick and Berlin Brandenburg International with JFK as well as both Berlin and Oslo with Fort Lauderdale International, the ch-aviation capacities module shows.

Last week, Norse Atlantic announced a new scheduled route to coincide with the start of the Summer 2023 season, beginning March 26, linking Paris CDG with New York JFK.

In its recent statement, released on January 11, the airline said it saw an average load factor in December of 61%, “including nine charters and wet-lease flights throughout the month,” which it claimed “delivered on its business plan to diversify aircraft utilisation during the winter period.” Norse was selected for these contracts, it added, due to the “flexibility and quick turnaround of services, expertise of the crew as well as the reliability and comfort provided by the Dreamliner fleet. Under some of these agreements Norse operated its very first flights to the Far East and the Caribbean.”