by Donald Wood
Last updated: 5:05 PM ET, Thu October 22, 2015
Photo courtesy of Boeing
Boeing and Norwegian Air Shuttle have announced that the two companies have finalized an order for 19 new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, with an estimated value of more than $5 billion at current prices.
In addition to the order for 19 new Dreamliners, the deal also includes an option for 10 more aircrafts of the same model in the future. This is the largest single order for Boeing 787-9 planes from a European airline to date.
In Norwegian's current fleet of planes, it has eight Boeing 787-8s and had previously ordered 11 new 787-9 Dreamliners. Over the coming months, the company's fleet is expected to grow to nearly 40 aircraft.
Norwegian CEO Bjorn Kjos released a statement about his company's latest order from Boeing:
"This order of 19 new Dreamliners is a major milestone and enables Norwegian to offer a wide range of new routes to consumers worldwide. The order is also essential to further strengthening the company in the global competition. After two years of operating low-cost long-haul flights, our load factors have averaged in the nineties, which proves the demand for affordable flights between Europe and the US and Europe and Asia. Future growth and competiveness in the long-haul market depends on the fuel-efficient, state-of-the art 787 Dreamliner. Not least, the Dreamliner offers the best passenger experience."
The planes will be needed as Norwegian continues to blossom. In 2014, the airline carried nearly 24 million passengers, and the company now has more than 150 unfilled orders from Boeing, including 100 new 737 MAXs.
With Norwegian now serving more than 130 destinations across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the United States, and Asia, the need for more new aircrafts for the company's fleet is growing quickly.
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