O’Leary claims Norwegian Air ‘running out of cash’
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has claimed rival Norwegian Air is in financial trouble and may not survive the winter.
O’Leary told journalists in London: “Norwegian will go in four or five months. They are running out of cash. They are scrabbling around daily.”
Norwegian denied it is in difficulty, with a spokesman insisting the Ryanair chief executive’s comments “have no root in reality.”
However, O’Leary said: “Both Monarch and Norwegian are in trouble. It’s an open secret among airlines that Monarch and Norwegian may not survive through the winter. They are burning cash.
“Norwegian has huge aircraft orders that they don’t have the cash to pay for.”
Ryanair has been in talks with Norwegian for months on offering connecting flights to its long-haul services, and is a member of airline lobby group Airlines for Europe (A4E) alongside Norwegian.
O’Leary said: “We are still talking to Norwegian [about connecting flights], but I’m not sure they will still be flying in 12 months.”
A Norwegian spokesman told Travel Weekly: “Norwegian has been profitable for the last 10 years, with a strong liquidity, together with owning a substantial share of Bank Norwegian which has a market value of over £1.6 billion (NOK17 billion).”
Monarch chief executive Andrew Swaffield also recently rejected suggestions that Monarch is in trouble.
Swaffield attributed Monarch’s latest losses to writing off the costs of the airline’s current lease arrangements, describing it as “the last legacy of the old Monarch”.
O’Leary also questioned the independent survival of easyJet and Wizz as he forecast substantial consolidation among Europe’s airlines.
He said: “You’ll see four to five airlines emerge over the next four to five years
“I see the British Airways family [IAG], Lufthansa, Air France-KLM and Ryanair emerging, and possibly easyJet as well.”
However, he said: “I doubt easyJet will be independent in five years. They will probably merge with IAG or Air France.”
O’Leary claimed: “EassyJet struggle to compete with us on price and increasingly we’re moving in on their airports.
“Can they continue to grow? No. There is a 50/50 chance they will merge.”
He also suggested Wizz would struggle, saying: “Wizz is a niche player. It will get pushed out of the way as we move more into Eastern Europe. Probably it will get swallowed by Lufthansa.” TW
La sentenza di O'Leary: "Per Norwegian la fine è vicina"
“Sta esaurendo i soldi e scricchiola ogni giorno di più; di questo passo, chiuderà nel giro di quattro o cinque mesi”. Michael O’Leary, chief executive Ryanair (nella foto), non fa sconti a Norwegian, prevedendo la fine rapida di un vettore che, secondo lui, “ha firmato ordini per grandi aeromobili, ma non ha i soldi per pagarli”.
Una sentenza, la sua, che ovviamente non ha lasciato indifferente il management del vettore, che affida a un suo portavoce la rapida risposta, pubblicata da TTG Media: “Le affermazioni di O’Leary - dice nella sua replica - non rispondono alla verità. Norwegian ha chiuso in attivo negli ultimi dieci anni, con una forte liquidità associata al possesso di una quota sostanziale di Bank Norwegian, il cui valore di mercato è di oltre 1,6 miliardi di sterline”.
Da tempo Ryanair è in trattative con Norwegian per offrire voli in connessione sui servizi a lungo raggio. Trattative che, secondo O’Leary, sono ancora in corso “anche se - ha aggiunto - non sono sicuro che continuerà a volare nei prossimi dodici mesi”. TTG
Norwegian: O'Leary's claim about future 'has no root in reality'
Norwegian has rubbished claims by Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary that it “may not survive through the winter”.
O’Leary, chief executive of the Irish airline, claimed yesterday that what he believed to be financial constraints on Norwegian may see the carrier struggle.
“Norwegian will go in four or five months. They are running out of cash… they are scrabbling around daily,” he said.
“Norwegian has huge aircraft orders that they don’t have the cash to pay for.”
A Norwegian spokesperson hit back at the claims – telling TTG O’Leary’s views "have no root in reality".
He added: "Norwegian has been profitable for the last 10 years, with a strong liquidity, together with owning a substantial share of Bank Norwegian which has a market value of over £1.6billion (NOK 17 billion)."
O’Leary maintained that he did not want to see Norwegian fail as he “likes that they are giving competition to BA” with its route strategy and product offering.
Ryanair has been in talks with Norwegian for some time on offering connecting flights to its long-haul services – which O’Leary said were still taking place.
“We are still talking [to Norwegian], but I’m not sure they will still be flying in 12 months,” he added.
During a press conference in London O’Leary also questioned the future of Monarch Airlines, telling reporters: "Both Monarch and Norwegian are in trouble"
Considering the state of the aviation industry post-Brexit, O’Leary said he could foresee “four to five airlines emerging as main players over the next four to five years”, naming BA’s parent [IAG], Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, Ryanair and easyJet.
Although, he doubted that easyJet would remain independent in five years’ time, telling reporters there was a “50/50 chance” the carrier would merge and touted Air France as a possible future partner. TTG

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has claimed rival Norwegian Air is in financial trouble and may not survive the winter.
O’Leary told journalists in London: “Norwegian will go in four or five months. They are running out of cash. They are scrabbling around daily.”
Norwegian denied it is in difficulty, with a spokesman insisting the Ryanair chief executive’s comments “have no root in reality.”
However, O’Leary said: “Both Monarch and Norwegian are in trouble. It’s an open secret among airlines that Monarch and Norwegian may not survive through the winter. They are burning cash.
“Norwegian has huge aircraft orders that they don’t have the cash to pay for.”
Ryanair has been in talks with Norwegian for months on offering connecting flights to its long-haul services, and is a member of airline lobby group Airlines for Europe (A4E) alongside Norwegian.
O’Leary said: “We are still talking to Norwegian [about connecting flights], but I’m not sure they will still be flying in 12 months.”
A Norwegian spokesman told Travel Weekly: “Norwegian has been profitable for the last 10 years, with a strong liquidity, together with owning a substantial share of Bank Norwegian which has a market value of over £1.6 billion (NOK17 billion).”
Monarch chief executive Andrew Swaffield also recently rejected suggestions that Monarch is in trouble.
Swaffield attributed Monarch’s latest losses to writing off the costs of the airline’s current lease arrangements, describing it as “the last legacy of the old Monarch”.
O’Leary also questioned the independent survival of easyJet and Wizz as he forecast substantial consolidation among Europe’s airlines.
He said: “You’ll see four to five airlines emerge over the next four to five years
“I see the British Airways family [IAG], Lufthansa, Air France-KLM and Ryanair emerging, and possibly easyJet as well.”
However, he said: “I doubt easyJet will be independent in five years. They will probably merge with IAG or Air France.”
O’Leary claimed: “EassyJet struggle to compete with us on price and increasingly we’re moving in on their airports.
“Can they continue to grow? No. There is a 50/50 chance they will merge.”
He also suggested Wizz would struggle, saying: “Wizz is a niche player. It will get pushed out of the way as we move more into Eastern Europe. Probably it will get swallowed by Lufthansa.” TW
La sentenza di O'Leary: "Per Norwegian la fine è vicina"
“Sta esaurendo i soldi e scricchiola ogni giorno di più; di questo passo, chiuderà nel giro di quattro o cinque mesi”. Michael O’Leary, chief executive Ryanair (nella foto), non fa sconti a Norwegian, prevedendo la fine rapida di un vettore che, secondo lui, “ha firmato ordini per grandi aeromobili, ma non ha i soldi per pagarli”.
Una sentenza, la sua, che ovviamente non ha lasciato indifferente il management del vettore, che affida a un suo portavoce la rapida risposta, pubblicata da TTG Media: “Le affermazioni di O’Leary - dice nella sua replica - non rispondono alla verità. Norwegian ha chiuso in attivo negli ultimi dieci anni, con una forte liquidità associata al possesso di una quota sostanziale di Bank Norwegian, il cui valore di mercato è di oltre 1,6 miliardi di sterline”.
Da tempo Ryanair è in trattative con Norwegian per offrire voli in connessione sui servizi a lungo raggio. Trattative che, secondo O’Leary, sono ancora in corso “anche se - ha aggiunto - non sono sicuro che continuerà a volare nei prossimi dodici mesi”. TTG
Norwegian: O'Leary's claim about future 'has no root in reality'
Norwegian has rubbished claims by Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary that it “may not survive through the winter”.
O’Leary, chief executive of the Irish airline, claimed yesterday that what he believed to be financial constraints on Norwegian may see the carrier struggle.
“Norwegian will go in four or five months. They are running out of cash… they are scrabbling around daily,” he said.
“Norwegian has huge aircraft orders that they don’t have the cash to pay for.”
A Norwegian spokesperson hit back at the claims – telling TTG O’Leary’s views "have no root in reality".
He added: "Norwegian has been profitable for the last 10 years, with a strong liquidity, together with owning a substantial share of Bank Norwegian which has a market value of over £1.6billion (NOK 17 billion)."
O’Leary maintained that he did not want to see Norwegian fail as he “likes that they are giving competition to BA” with its route strategy and product offering.
Ryanair has been in talks with Norwegian for some time on offering connecting flights to its long-haul services – which O’Leary said were still taking place.
“We are still talking [to Norwegian], but I’m not sure they will still be flying in 12 months,” he added.
During a press conference in London O’Leary also questioned the future of Monarch Airlines, telling reporters: "Both Monarch and Norwegian are in trouble"
Considering the state of the aviation industry post-Brexit, O’Leary said he could foresee “four to five airlines emerging as main players over the next four to five years”, naming BA’s parent [IAG], Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, Ryanair and easyJet.
Although, he doubted that easyJet would remain independent in five years’ time, telling reporters there was a “50/50 chance” the carrier would merge and touted Air France as a possible future partner. TTG