Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA currently operates 62 single-aisle jet aircraft, of which 48 are 737-800s and 14 737-300s. The company has opted to modernize the fleet with state-of-the-art Boeing 737-800 aircraft. A total of 73 such aircraft will be delivered from 2008 to 2014.
The Boeing 737-800 is among the most environmentally friendly aircraft available, reducing per seat CO2 emissions by 23 % compared to the 737-300 and by as much as 33 % compared to the MD80. The new aircraft also improve operational reliability and on-time performance as well as reduce maintenance and other technical costs.
In January 2012, Norwegian placed an order with both Boeing and Airbus to purchase 222 aircraft - wherof 100 Boeing 737 MAX8, 22 Boeing 737-800 and 100 Airbus A320neo. The order is Europe's largest ever single aircraft order. When the airline's older 737-300s are phased out, it will have one of the most modern, efficient and environmentally friendly fleets in commercial operation.
Norwegian has also ordered six Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner for its planned long-haul operation. Read more about the Dreamliner here.
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Type of plane
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Boeing 737-800
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Boeing 737-300
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Number of planes
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48
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14
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Passengers
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186/189
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148
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Crew per flight
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Two pilots, four cabin crew
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Two pilots, three cabin crew
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Engines
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General Electric/Snecma CFMI CFM56-7B26
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General Electric/Snecma CFM-56-3 (Commercial Fan Moteur)
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Maximum starting weight
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78.999 kg
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61.915 kg – 63.265 kg
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Length
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39.5 meters
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33.4 meters
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Wing span
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35.8 meters w/winglet
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28.91 meters
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Motor power
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26.4 K = 26.400 Lbs
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22K = 22.000 Lbs
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Speed
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858 km/h
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797 km/h
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Boeing 737-800
The Boeing 737-800 aircraft serve all routes in Norwegian’s network, but are typically allocated to high-density routes and long routes to North Africa, The Canary Islands and Dubai due to the longer range and higher efficiency of the aircraft.
The Boeing 737-800 is a short to medium haul single-aisle aircraft that entered service in 1998 and is still in production. By the end of 2012 Nowegian will have it will have a unitary fleet of 63 such aircraft. Today's fleet have both a 189 and 186 seat configuration. Future deliveries will feature 186 Recaro seats that increase the passengers' overall legroom, Boeing SKY Interior and in-flight WiFi. All Boeing 737-800 have performance enhancing winglets installed.
Boeing 737-300
The Boeing 737-300 aircraft serve most of Norwegian’s network with the exception of flights to North Africa, The Canary Islands, Dubai and domestic flights in Sweden.
The Boeing 737-300 is a short to medium haul single-aisle aircraft that entered service in 1984 and went out of production in 1999. The majority of the -300 fleet has a 148 seat configuration. Four aircraft are retrofitted with performance enhancing winglets and have new Recaro seats that increase passenger legroom.
Watch the video below to see how a Norwegian plane is assembled at the Boeing factory in Seattle: