The grounded Boeing 787 is an apt metaphor for Norwegian’s low-cost long-haul ambitions, which ended in mid-January when the troubled airline announced it would revert to being a short-haul brand.
Some said Norwegian expanded too fast, and it had major technical issues with the 787s before the pandemic even hit.
In early 2018 it began replacing engines on all its 787s, as fan blades in the Rolls-Royce turbines were prone to cracking. The 787 was Norwegian’s only long-haul choice, so it had to lease expensive replacements.
Unfortunately, Norwegian was tied in to acquiring more new 787s and finished with 35, 18-20 of which were UK-based and grounded by the pandemic.
