Norwegian Air Shuttle reported a strong third quarter (three months to 30-Sep-2011) result, bolstered by strong gains in revenue, passenger numbers and careful cost control. The result for the third quarter, seasonally the carrier’s strongest, was Norwegian’s strongest ever quarterly result as the LCC continues to expand at breakneck pace in the Northern Europe region in which it now claims bases in all four major Nordic markets. The carrier is targeting a greater share of the corporate sector but will soon have to defend itself from full-service competitor SAS, who it has taken market share from.

Norwegian, the first European carrier of the third-quarter reporting season reported a stellar result amid a concerning quarter for the continent's airlines, which was characterised by downward revisions to earnings by many major carriers, although LCCs are faring much better.