Norwegian Air's May passenger count down 98% year-on-year

Norwegian Air's passenger volume fell by 97.8% in May from a year ago as most of its fleet remained grounded amid restrictions to halt the coronavirus pandemic, the budget carrier said on Friday.

A pioneer in low-fair transatlantic travel, the airline now only flies within its native Norway, transporting just 73,401 passengers last month, down from 3.36 million globally in May 2019.

Norwegian last month won backing from owners, creditors, and the government for a financial rescue plan and said it aims to gradually rebuild the company from 2021 onwards, albeit in a smaller version than before the pandemic.