Boeing 737 Crisis Imperils Norwegian's Cut-Price U.S. Routes
- Carrier has idled 18 Max jets that flew trans-Atlantic trips
- Narrow-bodies key for cheap operations to smaller airports
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Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA’s reliance on the fuel-saving Boeing Co. 737 Max to underpin its ultra low-cost trans-Atlantic strategy has exposed the loss-making carrier as the most vulnerable in Europe to the worldwide grounding of the plane.
Norwegian was among the earliest adopters of the new narrow-body jet, using its extra range to launch services on Europe-U.S. routes traditionally dominated by twin-aisle planes. But after the fatal crash in Ethiopia on March 10 put the Max out of action, the airline has been forced to scrapped some flights and switch others to bigger aircraft, increasing costs and reducing competitiveness in an already cut-throat market.