Norwegian recruits 150 crew in Finland – reopens base in Helsinki

The future is looking brighter for Norwegian. As part of the preparations for the summer season, Norwegian has started recruitment of more than 150 air crew that will be based at Helsinki Airport HEL.

Approximately 100 cabin crew and 50 pilots will be ready to operate 27 of Europe’s most popular destinations that the company will service from Helsinki Airport during the summer season.

- I am extremely pleased that we are able to reopen our base in Helsinki. With the 150 new people in Helsinki we confirm yet again that we are back in Finland, and I know all of them are looking forward to welcoming our passengers on board, says Geir Karlsen, CEO in Norwegian.

The newly hired crew start working on a rolling basis over the coming months – March, April and May - as they undergo the necessary trainings before they can welcome the passengers onboard as part of their active duty. The 150 will be the first air crew with Norwegian based in Helsinki since April 2020 when the pandemic hit the global aviation industry. Norwegian received almost 2000 applications for the open positions.

- To be a member of our air crew is a service-oriented job with big responsibilities. We are proud that we have received so many highly qualified applications, and it shows that Norwegian has a reputation as an attractive employer in the industry. Our crew play crucial roles when it comes to the safety of our passengers, our operations and to making sure that every passenger has a positive experience when they travel with us, says Geir Karlsen, CEO in Norwegian.

CEO Geir Karlsen is the strategist behind Norwegian's miraculous and near impossible rescue operation. Norwegian is now experiencing strong growth, increased turnover - and recently announced that the company will increase its fleet to 70 aircraft this summer. (photo: Thomas Brun NTB / Kommunikasjon)

The future is looking brighter for Norwegian.

Since June 2021 and the first lifting of travel restrictions, the rate of employment has been high at Norwegian and the company has reopened bases in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Bergen, Stavanger and Trondheim.

In March 2022, Norwegian services 14 routes from Helsinki HEL, including the two domestic routes to Oulo and Rovaniemi. During the summer season Norwegian will gradually scale up almost doubling the number of available routes to a total of 27 of Europe’s most popular destinations directly from Helsinki Airport at the peak of the summer.

Norwegian's traffic figures for February show that the number of passengers has remained stable over the second month of the year. 640,000 passengers flew with the company and load factor was over 81 percent. In February, ticket sales reached the highest level since the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020.

In February, Norway and many European countries removed entry rules and other measures and restrictions associated with the pandemic.

During the summer program, 280 routes to 38 destinations are planned, and Norwegian will have around 70 aircraft in operation. The company has noted a very positive development in future bookings over the last period, and monitors closely the uncertain situation in Europe, the turmoil in the financial markets and the change in oil prices.