Norse Atlantic Airways has announced plans to reduce its US network by 50%. This decision reflects the challenges of operating long-haul low-cost flights in the highly competitive transatlantic market. The airline will also be suspending its longest route, between Athens and New York-JFK Airport.

While some of these route cuts were expected, as they were already removed from the airline’s schedule for Winter 2025/2026, the recent announcement suggests that Norse Atlantic may be struggling with profitability. Despite boasting a record 97% load factor in the second quarter of this year, the use of low fares to attract passengers may not be translating into overall profitability for the airline.

The latest cuts include six routes from its summer schedule, which were identified by UK Airline Schedule Analyst, SeanM. These cuts come as Norse Atlantic shifts its focus towards strengthening its wet and damp leasing operation, where it rents out its planes to other airlines for a steady stream of income.

With the recent agreement for IndiGo to take on six of Norse Atlantic’s Boeing 787-9s by the end of the year, the airline’s remaining US network will be reduced, as shown on the map in green. The routes that have been cut are shown in red, with the airline redirecting its capacity towards Asia, where it has seen better performance. Norse Atlantic aims to achieve profitability by the end of the year.

However, high load factors do not necessarily equate to profitability. While many of the routes that have been cut had solid load factors last year, the data from the US Department of Transportation reveals that the strongest month for three of these routes was December, which is unusual for the transatlantic market. Typically, airlines make most of their profits during the busy summer months, when demand and load factors are higher.

One factor that may have contributed to high load factors on these routes is the lower fares offered by Norse Atlantic. However, this may have also affected profitability. It is also important to note that the airline operates fewer flights in December, which may have skewed the load factor figures.

The transatlantic market is highly competitive, making it challenging for independent carriers to succeed. According to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium, there are over 140,000 two-way flights scheduled between Europe and North America during the third quarter of this year, a 4. 7% increase from last year. This growth is mainly driven by major carriers like United, Delta, and American Airlines.

Another obstacle for independent carriers in the transatlantic market is the complex relationships between different airlines. Airline joint ventures, such as the one world Atlantic Joint Business, A++, and Blue Skies, allow carriers to pool and distribute revenues between their partners on both sides of the Atlantic. These joint ventures have a significant advantage over single entities like Norse Atlantic or JetBlue.

Despite the challenges, Norse Atlantic’s partnership with IndiGo may provide some stability for the airline’s leased planes.