Norwegian, the fourth largest airline at Malaga Airport in terms of passenger volume, has reaffirmed its dedication to the Costa del Sol, which it considers to be its most significant destination in Spain. Geir Karlsen, CEO of the airline, revealed to SUR that the number of aircraft stationed at the airport will increase from two to three, and new routes to the Costa del Sol will be added.
During this peak season, Norwegian will add three new connections to Malaga Airport’s existing ten, including Haugesund, a cultural centre in southwestern Norway, Växjö in southeastern Sweden, and Stockholm-Skavasta, the southern airport in Stockholm. “So now we will link Malaga with the two airports in the city,” Karlsen said to emphasize that “the Nordic market is back.”
Karlsen recalled that Norwegian had made considerable progress since the crisis it faced during the pandemic. “Now it is a different company. Two years ago we had 50 aircraft, and currently we expect to close the year with 82 and reach 90 in 2024,” he added. He hopes to have up to four planes stationed in Malaga by next summer.
“During the past year, we have focused our activities in Spain, which is the primary foreign market for the Nordics, on the Costa del Sol and in Alicante. But the difference between the two is enormous. If we look at the last twelve months, Malaga has welcomed 100,000 more passengers than Alicante airport.”
This high season, Norwegian will offer four million seats in Spain, of which 1.39 million are to or from Malaga. With the three new routes announced, the Costa del Sol will receive travelers from thirteen Nordic destinations.
Karlsen encouraged people to visit these destinations and stated that “now it is the best time to get to know Norway” since for those traveling from the eurozone, it is 25% cheaper due to the weakening of the Norwegian krone caused by the crisis in Ukraine.
To cope with the increase in passengers, the number of pilots and crew members stationed in Malaga for this high season has also increased from 116 to 154. “We want to have the best summer ever in our history,” said Geir Karlsen.