Why travellers may have seen the end of cheap flights in Norway
The era of cheap domestic flights in Norway may have already ended and is unlikely to return anytime soon, an industry expert has claimed.
The failure of Wizz Air and Flyr to successfully enter the Norwegian domestic market means that travellers are likely to see a return to high airfares in the country, public broadcaster NRK reports.
The development comes after record low plane tickets in Norway almost 18 months ago. Following the collapse of Flyr at the turn of the month, many experts predicted that prices would increase further as a result.
Data from NRK shows that SAS and Norwegian were charging air fares of 1,000 kroner for trips between the capital and Tromsø in the north of the country. The same tickets would have cost just 300 kroner 18 months ago, according to NRK.
Several factors have contributed to much higher plane tickets over the past 12-18 months, an aviation industry analyst told the broadcaster.
"The market must understand that the airlines have been through the biggest crisis ever with both the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, so things cost a little more," Hans Jørgen Elnæs, an analyst from Winair, told NRK.
"Wizz Air couldn't make it even though they had very cheap flights between the north and south of Norway. Flyr has also held on for a while, but they were also unable to fill up their flights even though they had the lowest price," he added.
Elnæs added that the decrease in competition means that while the two most prominent players in Norway, SAS and Norwegian, will still compete, overall, it was unlikely that consumers in Norway would see the ticket prices on offer 18 months ago.
"I think the market must expect that the time of the very cheapest plane tickets will not return again," he said.
While there may be little competition within Norway, Elnæs said that the number of options for continental flights would remain healthy, and pricing should therefore be more competitive than domestically.
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The failure of Wizz Air and Flyr to successfully enter the Norwegian domestic market means that travellers are likely to see a return to high airfares in the country, public broadcaster NRK reports.
The development comes after record low plane tickets in Norway almost 18 months ago. Following the collapse of Flyr at the turn of the month, many experts predicted that prices would increase further as a result.
Data from NRK shows that SAS and Norwegian were charging air fares of 1,000 kroner for trips between the capital and Tromsø in the north of the country. The same tickets would have cost just 300 kroner 18 months ago, according to NRK.
Several factors have contributed to much higher plane tickets over the past 12-18 months, an aviation industry analyst told the broadcaster.
"The market must understand that the airlines have been through the biggest crisis ever with both the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, so things cost a little more," Hans Jørgen Elnæs, an analyst from Winair, told NRK.
"Wizz Air couldn't make it even though they had very cheap flights between the north and south of Norway. Flyr has also held on for a while, but they were also unable to fill up their flights even though they had the lowest price," he added.
Elnæs added that the decrease in competition means that while the two most prominent players in Norway, SAS and Norwegian, will still compete, overall, it was unlikely that consumers in Norway would see the ticket prices on offer 18 months ago.
"I think the market must expect that the time of the very cheapest plane tickets will not return again," he said.
While there may be little competition within Norway, Elnæs said that the number of options for continental flights would remain healthy, and pricing should therefore be more competitive than domestically.
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