Norwegian Air cancels all 92 Boeing 737 MAX, five 787 orders

A Norwegian Boeing 737 MAX 8. Photo: © Phillip Rohmberger / IFN

Norwegian Air Shuttle has cancelled its outstanding orders for 92 Boeing 737 MAX and five 787 Dreamliner, the airline said in a notice on Monday evening.

The European low-cost carrier is also requesting compensation for the 737 MAX grounding, as well as for the troubles it experienced with the Boeing 787’s Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines. It is seeking the return of pre-delivery payments made to Boeing for the undelivered planes.

Norwegian has engaged in a commercial dialogue with Boeing with a view to resolving its 787 and 737 MAX issues and obtaining compensation for its losses. The dialogue has [not yet] led to an agreement with a reasonable compensation to the Company.Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA

The complete cancellation of its orders for the two aircraft types also comes with the termination of so-called ‘GoldCare’ service agreements. Prior to the worldwide grounding and delivery suspension that started more than a year ago in March 2019, Norwegian had already received 18 737 MAX 8 aircraft. It was not immediately clear whether the carrier would resume 737 MAX operations once the grounding is lifted.

Norwegian’s long-haul fleets consists entirely of 37 Boeing 787 Dreamliner, with the five now-cancelled orders all being close to delivery. It operates the 787-8 and the slightly larger 787-9 variants.

Right now, the low-cost carrier has grounded almost its entire fleet as it is struggling with the ongoing Coronavirus crisis. Only around ten airplanes are operating in the airline’s home country Norway.

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