Norwegian Air Argentina (Buenos Aires Jorge Newbery) appears to have taken its first steps towards closure, according to local news reports, and ticket sales beyond March 28, 2020, have been removed from the booking system.
Sources cited by the tabloid Clarín pointed to a possible sale of the operation to its competitor JetSMART Argentina (WJ, Buenos Aires Ministro Pistarini), an affiliate of Indigo Partners's JetSMART (JA, Santiago de Chile) ULCC firm in Chile. JetSmart would absorb Norwegian Argentina’s operations and abandon its base at Buenos Aires El Palomar with its nighttime restrictions and move to Buenos Aires Jorge Newbery. However, neither Norwegian (Oslo Gardermoen) nor JetSMART have confirmed the reports.
Norwegian Air Argentina’s website is not currently taking reservations beyond March 28, 2020 for any of the routes it is currently operating. Its fleet was reduced earlier this year from four to three B737-800s. These currently fly from Buenos Aires Aeroparque to Mendoza International (21x weekly frequencies), Córdoba International (14x), Iguazu (10x), San Carlos de Bariloche (9x), Salta (5x), Neuquén (5x), Jujuy (2x), and Ushuaia (2x), according to the ch-aviation capacities module.
Geir Karlsen, Norwegian's CFO and acting CEO, warned in April that the group would soon review the results of its operation in Argentina and close it if the numbers were not favourable.
Meanwhile, Norwegian UK (London Gatwick) has been granted six slot pairs at London Heathrow from March 2020, according to the airport's initial coordination report for the summer 2020 season - the only new entrant to be awarded any slots during the period. Norwegian's UK operation operates thirteen B787-9s, according to ch-aviation fleets, so the slots are likely to be used for long-haul routes. It currently connects London Gatwick with nine destinations in the Americas, including five weekly frequencies to Buenos Aires Ministro Pistarini.
Norwegian revealed on November 27 that while its flights from Oslo Gardermoen to the United States would be maintained, its routes from Copenhagen Kastrup and Stockholm Arlanda to the US and Thailand would be discontinued from March 29, 2020.
