Owego, New York,October 26, 2023 – The U.S. Navy awarded Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT) a contract to produce six multi-mission MH-60R Seahawk® helicopters for the Norwegian government. Designed and built by Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, MH-60R aircraft will enable Norway to perform multiple maritime missions, including search and rescue and coastal and offshore patrol.
Depend on the SEAHAWK
Norway and other nations can depend on the SEAHAWK aircraft for:
high reliability
advanced mission systems and sensors
low flight hour costs, and
low maintenance and sustainment costs.
Norway’s order marks the second MH-60R contract award in less than a month. On Oct. 12, the U.S. Navy awarded Lockheed Martin a contract for eight Spanish Navy MH-60R aircraft.
Sikorsky has delivered 330 MH-60R aircraft to five countries. Sixty-four more are on order or in production for India, Greece, South Korea, Australia, Spain and Norway.
Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA (NAS.OL) had 2,141,613 passengers in August, up 7 per cent from August 2022. The capacity (ASK) was 3,527 million seat kilometres, while actual passenger traffic (RPK) was 3,006 million seat kilometres. In August, Norwegian operated an average of 80 aircraft with a regularity, share of scheduled flights taking place, of 99.6 percent. The impressive results came despite operations being impacted by high winds and floods caused by Storm Hans in Southern Norway, as well as the outage at National Air Traffic Services (NATS) in the UK on 28 August. Punctuality was at 82.4 percent in August, the share of flights departing within 15 minutes of scheduled time. However, 98.0 per cent of all departed flights arrived on schedule or within one hour of scheduled arrival time, the highest level so far this year.
Solid operations and positive booking momentum
The outlook for this autumn continues to be positive. Capacity has been adjusted to meet the seasonal variation in demand for the coming winter. Norwegian is excited to release the summer programme for 2024 next week, with further routes to new destinations being added in November.
About Norwegian
Norwegian is the largest Norwegian airline and one of Europe’s leading low-cost carriers. The company has around 4,500 employees and offers a comprehensive route network between Nordic countries and destinations in Europe. Since 2002, more than 300 million passengers have flown with Norwegian. The most important task has been to offer affordable plane tickets to all and to offer more freedom of choice along the journey.
Norway Panoramic view of Lofoten Islands in Norway with sunset scenic
Ottawa, Ontario, June 1, 2022 – Boeing [NYSE: BA] and several Canadian industry partners announced today their intent to collaborate to provide the capability and sustainability of the proven P-8A Poseidon for the Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft (CMMA) requirement.
Team Poseidon, consisting of CAE, GE Aviation Canada, IMP Aerospace & Defence, KF Aerospace, Honeywell Aerospace Canada and Raytheon Canada, forms the cornerstone of a Canadian P-8 industrial footprint. The team builds on 81 Canadian suppliers to the platform and to more than 550 Canadian suppliers across all provinces contributing to Boeing’s annual CAD $5.3 billion in economic benefit to Canada, supporting more than 20,000 Canadian jobs.
The Boeing P-8A is a proven military off-the-shelf solution with nearly 150 aircraft delivered to five nations to date. The P-8 will improve Canada’s capability to defend its northern and maritime borders while ensuring interoperability with NORAD and NATO allies. As a leading platform for reducing the environmental impact of military aircraft, the P-8 can operate on a 50% blend of sustainable aviation fuel today with aspirations to move toward 100% with investment in new technology.
The P-8A Poseidon offers advanced anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and search and rescue capability, and is the only in-service, in-production multi-mission aircraft that meets all CMMA requirements. The P-8 also has the added distinction of strengthening the connection between national security and environmental stewardship.
Having executed more than 450,000 collective mishap free flight-hours, the P-8A Poseidon has proven its capability to operate around the globe in the harshest flight regimes including extended operations in extreme cold weather and icing environments.
Current Boeing P-8 customers include the US Navy, Indian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Air Force, Royal Norwegian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force, Republic of Korea Navy and Germany Navy.
Built on the proven 737 Next-Generation airframe, P-8’s 86% commonality with more than 4,000 in-service 737NGs delivers lower life-cycle sustainment costs due to large economies of scale.
The first P-8A Poseidon aircraft for Norway today rolled out of the paint shop in Renton, in Royal Norwegian Air Force livery. Norway is one of eight nations to have acquired the P-8A as their new multimission maritime patrol aircraft.
Recently, the air force revealed the names of its five P-8A Poseidon aircraft: Vingtor, Viking, Ulabrand, Hugin and Munin. The names are inspired by Norse mythology and continue a tradition of almost 80 years that started when the names Vingtor, Viking and Ulabrand were used on Norway’s PBY-5 Catalina maritime patrol aircraft in 1942. Since then, other maritime patrol aircraft operated by the Royal Norwegian Air Force have carried those names, including its current P-3 fleet, which will be replaced by the P-8.
Norway’s first P-8A aircraft – Vingtor – will now return to the factory floor to be prepared for flight testing. First flight is scheduled for later this month, and mission systems will be installed on the aircraft after that.
Last week, an Icelandair (Iceland: ICEAIR.IC) Boeing 767 (TF-ISN), landed at Troll airfield (QAT) at the Troll research station operated by the Norwegian Polar Institute in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. The flight was operated by Loftleiðir (Icelandair’s charter-flight subsidiary) to offload provisions for the research station’s staff who will remain at Troll this winter, and to pick up scientists returning to Norway after their summer service. Some of the scientists had been at Troll for 16 months and were happy to be heading home.
The flight
The journey involved a lot of planning due to the unique conditions, and involved 6 pilots, 13 crew and 1 flight engineer.
From Keflavík airport in Iceland, the plane flew nonstop to Cape Town, South Africa, where it paused for a rest and refueling stop. Some of the team stayed in Cape Town and the remainder flew 4,332km south to Troll in 5 hours and 43 minutes.
After a 2-hour layover at Troll, the aircraft returned with the Norwegian passengers to Cape Town, picked up the fresh crew, and continued on to Oslo, then home to Iceland.
According to flight commander August Hakansson, landing conditions at Troll were far better than forecast. And the worst weather of the entire trip was upon the return to Keflavík!
The flight route was so unusual that it attracted worldwide attention from aviation fans and media, including over 30,000 followers on Flightradar. And although it might seem crazy, this isn’t Icelandair’s first time in the Deep South – back in 2015, Icelandair became the first commercial airline to land a plane on a blue-ice runway in Antarctica.
The Norwegian Armed Forces has signed a framework agreement with Saab for the Carl-Gustaf M4. Saab has received an initial order for Carl-Gustaf M4 weapons with deliveries in 2021.
The recently signed framework agreement allows the Norwegian customer to place orders for Carl-Gustaf M4, associated equipment and training systems during a 7-year period.
The Norwegian Armed Forces has been a user of the Carl-Gustaf M2 system since early 1970’s. Today the M2 and the M3 versions are used within the Norwegian Armed Forces.
“We welcome the latest user to the Carl-Gustaf M4. It’s a great success to continue to support the Norwegian Armed Forces, this time with our future ready Carl-Gustaf M4”, says Görgen Johansson, head of Saab’s business area Dynamics.
Carl-Gustaf M4 is the latest version of the portable, shoulder-launched, multi-role weapon system. It gives users a wide range of engagement options and allows troops to remain agile and effective in any scenario. It builds on the system’s formidable capabilities, offering a higher degree of accuracy, lighter construction and compatibility with future innovations. The M4 is also compatible with intelligent sighting systems and future technology developments, such as programmable ammunition. Since the launch in 2014, Saab has signed contracts with fourteen different nations for Carl-Gustaf M4.
Airbus Helicopters has delivered the first five-bladed H145 to the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation. This new version of its best-selling H145 light twin-engine helicopter brings a new, innovative five-bladed rotor to the multi-mission helicopter, increasing the useful load by 150 kg while delivering new levels of comfort, simplicity, and connectivity. It received certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency in June and is now ready to take on a wide variety of missions.
The Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation, founded by Norwegian doctor Jens Moe in 1978, is the mother company and owner of the Norwegian Air Ambulance. It brought HEMS to Norway by opening a first base near Oslo, using a BO105 helicopter rented from Germany. Today, Norwegian Air Ambulance operates all 13 HEMS bases in Norway and all 4 bases in Denmark using a 100% Helionix-equipped fleet of H135s and H145s. This helicopter is dedicated to support the Foundations important work to improve the HEMS operations.
The new version of Airbus’ best-selling H145 light twin-engine helicopter was unveiled at Heli-Expo 2019 in Atlanta with launch customers announced for all civil and parapublic mission segments.
Certification by the Federal Aviation Administration is under review and expected soon. The certification for the military version of the five-bladed H145 will be granted in 2021. The H145 is developed jointly with Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The first delivery by the Japanese cooperation partner is scheduled for early next year.
Powered by two Safran Arriel 2E engines, the H145 is equipped with full authority digital engine control (FADEC) and the Helionix digital avionics suite. It includes a high performance 4-axis autopilot, increasing safety and reducing pilot workload. Its particularly low acoustic footprint makes the H145 the quietest helicopter in its class.
OSLO (Reuters) – Norwegian Air <NAS.OL> has cancelled orders for 97 Boeing <BA.N> aircraft and will claim compensation from the U.S. plane maker for the grounding of the 737 MAX and for 787 engine troubles that hit its bottom line, the Oslo-based carrier said on Monday.
The airline cancelled 92 of the 737 MAX jets, five 787 Dreamliners and so-called GoldCare service agreements related to both aircraft, just as Boeing on Monday began a crucial set of flight tests of the 737 MAX in an effort to gain regulatory approval for it to return to the skies.
“Norwegian has in addition filed a legal claim seeking the return of pre-delivery payments related to the aircraft and compensation for the company’s losses related to the grounding of the 737 MAX and engine issues on the 787,” the airline said.
Norwegian did not specify the amount it would seek to claim from Boeing, which it had been in talks with about compensation, and was not immediately available for comment.
Boeing said it was working with Norwegian on a path forward in a challenging time as it was with other operators but it would not comment on commercial discussions.
The problematic Trent 1000 engines, used on the Dreamliners, were made by Rolls-Royce <RR.L>, which Norwegian has been in a dialogue with about compensation. Monday’s statement did not say whether Norwegian would file a legal claim against Rolls-Royce.
The European budget carrier, which revolutionised transatlantic travel by offering cheap fares, was struggling before the COVID-19 pandemic brought the airline industry to its knees.
One reason was the grounding of the 737 MAX in March 2019 following the second of two fatal crashes that together killed 346 people. Norwegian had 18 MAX passenger jets in its 163-aircraft fleet at the time.
Originally a small regional airline in Scandinavia, Norwegian made its breakthrough on the global stage with a multi-year order in 2012 for up to 372 aircraft, of which 222 were from Boeing and 150 from Airbus <AIR.PA>.
(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche and Terje Solsvik; Additional reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle; Editing by Leslie Adler and Christopher Cushing)
FILE PHOTO: Norwegian Air Sweden Boeing 737-800 plane SE-RRY lands in Riga International Airport in Riga
OSLO (Reuters) – Norwegian Air <NAS.OL> shareholders backed its financial survival plan on Monday, with more than 95% of votes cast supporting the conversion of nearly $1 billion of debt into equity and raising more cash from its owners.
Approval of the scheme is a vital part of the struggling airline’s plan to tap government credit guarantees as it seeks to overcome the coronavirus crisis, which has compounded its already deep financial problems.
Airlines around the world have been hit hard by the impact on travel of the pandemic, with many forced to turn to governments for state aid to avoid bankruptcy.
The airline, which at the end of last year had amassed debts of around $8 billion, said ahead of the meeting that it had won “strong support” from aircraft lessors for its plan.
With 95% of its fleet grounded due to the coronavirus pandemic, Norwegian Air has said it could run out of cash by mid-May unless shareholders supported the plan.
On Sunday it said bondholders had signed up to the plan, which was narrowly rejected in a vote on Thursday.
Norwegian Air said lessors are now willing to convert at least $730 million of debt into equity, up from $550 million earlier, and talks are ongoing for possible further conversion.
“With the significant contributions from lessors and bondholders, the company expects to convert more than 10 billion crowns ($958 million) in debt to equity,” it said.
Based on the results from the shareholders’ meeting, the company will now proceed with the conversion of bonds and lease debt to shares, as well as the public offering of up to 400 million ($38.4 million) from the sale of new stock, it said.
The debt conversion and share sale will allow Norwegian Air to tap government guarantees of up to 2.7 billion crowns, which hinge on a reduction in leverage, on top of 300 million crowns it has already received.
The plan will hand majority ownership to the airline’s creditors and could leave current shareholders with just 5.2%.
The loan could keep Norwegian Air going until the end of 2020, although further cash may be needed as it eyes a gradual ramp-up next year and normalisation in 2022, albeit with a reduced fleet.
Norwegian Air is only paying invoices vital to maintaining minimum operations, such as salaries for staff still employed and critical IT infrastructure. It has put payments for ground handling, debt and leases on hold.
The Oslo Bourse said it had halted trade in Norwegian Air’s shares until the outcome of the vote is presented.
(Reporting by Terje Solsvik; Editing by Christian Schmollinger, Jason Neely and Alexander Smith)
FILE PHOTO: A Norwegian Air plane is refuelled at Oslo Gardermoen airport
OSLO (Reuters) – Norwegian Air <NAS.OL> could run out of cash by mid-May unless its proposed financial rescue plan is approved by creditors and shareholders, the budget carrier warned on Monday.
If approved by bondholders, leasing companies and shareholders, the plan may help Norwegian survive the coronavirus outbreak, which has grounded 95% of its fleet, leaving just 7 aircraft in operation.
But the planned debt-to-equity swap will hand majority ownership of 53.1% to the company’s lessors, while bondholders would own 41.7%, leaving current shareholders with just 5.2%, it said.
The move would allow Norwegian to tap government guarantees of 2.7 billion crowns ($255 million), which are dependent on the company reducing its ratio of debt to equity, and which would come on top of 300 million crowns it has already received.
It is “critical to get access to the state aid package by mid-May before the company runs out of cash,” Norwegian said in a presentation to investors.
Rapid growth has made Norwegian Europe’s third-largest low-cost airline and the biggest foreign carrier serving New York and other major U.S. cities, but with the expansion came debts and liabilities of close to $8 billion by the end of 2019.
Last week, the company reported that four Swedish and Danish subsidiaries had filed for bankruptcy and that it had ended staffing contracts in Europe and the United States, putting some 4,700 jobs at risk.
Norwegian’s shares opened 8% lower on Monday and are down 86% year-to-date.
The company aims to gradually emerge from the COVID-19 crisis with both a short-haul and long-haul network in place, and is targeting a return to normal operations in 2022, it said.
The plan requires backing from bondholders in each of four separate votes planned for April 30, from shareholders in an extraordinary general meeting scheduled for May 4, and from leasing firms.
It maintained plans to raise up to 400 million crowns in cash from owners.
(Editing by Jan Harvey)
FILE PHOTO: A Norwegian Air plane is refuelled at Oslo Gardermoen airport
