Norwegian focuses on business travel as recovery continues
February 17, 2026
Norwegian's business-travel revenues are well above pre-pandemic levels despite a weak national recovery in the segment, the airline group has reported. Disclosing fourth-quarter results, it notes that corporate travel volumes are up by around a third on 2019, adjusted to a comparable route network. This follows 8% growth in revenue from the segment last year, building on even steeper growth in 2024. This result is "a little bit interesting", says chief executive Geir Karlsen, noting that the growth comes despite the fact that business travel is "definitely not back" to pre-pandemic levels in Norway, based on data from Avinor, the country's airports operator. That shows demand down around 60% from 2019 levels, including a 2% fall last year. Business travel is "a focus area" for Norwegian and subsidiary Wideroe, adds Karlsen. "We think it is an attractive part of market," he says, citing "high yields". Norwegian's position in the segment has recently been boosted by a four-year deal signed with the Swedish finance ministry. That came into force in September, and is described by Karlsen as a promising start. "The Swedish market is moving in the right direction," he observes. Corporate travel has remained subdued across Europe since the pandemic, and several airlines have highlighted slow recoveries. This has in some cases been counterbalanced by higher demand for premium cabins from leisure travellers. Air France-KLM said last year that business travel had plateaued at around 80% of pre-pandemic levels across its carriers, a level broadly in line with other airlines. It declared this the "new normal" for business travel. In the fourth quarter of 2025, Norwegian made a slim operating profit of NKr21 million ($2.2 million), reversing a NKr93 million loss in 2024. Group revenue came in at NKr8.5 billion, up 4%, on flat passenger numbers. Full-year EBIT came in at NKr3.4 billion. "Current booking trends and a supportive supply-and-demand balance in the European market for air travel support an overall encouraging outlook for the Norwegian Group," it says.
EasyJet offers prospectus for $5.5 billion notes offering
February 17, 2026
UK low-cost carrier EasyJet is seeking to raise £4 billion ($5.5 billion) under its euro medium-term note (EMTN) programme, intended to provide ongoing access to debt-capital markets across multiple currencies. The programme is rated 'Baa2' by Moody's and 'BBB+' by S&P Global Ratings, which mirror EasyJet's own ratings. Ratings on individual note tranches may differ from the programme-level ratings, the airline adds. Societe Generale is acting as arranger, with a broad dealer group including Barclays, BNP Paribas, BofA Securities, Citi, Goldman Sachs, Lloyds, NatWest, Santander and Standard Chartered, among others. The offering circular is dated 16 February.
United's $100 million investment in Azul approved by regulator
February 16, 2026
Brazilian competition authority CADE has approved United Airlines' $100 million purchase of American depositary shares in Azul. The US major's $100 million investment has been "inserted in the context" of Azul's Chapter 11 plan, notes the Brazilian carrier. When it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May 2025, Azul expected that at the end of the process its debtor-in-possession financing obligations would be repaid with proceeds from a share subscription offering of up to $650 million, with a firm guarantee from certain investors, plus possible additional investment of up to $300 million from United and American Airlines. Azul's reorganisation plan gained bankruptcy-court approval in December. The airline intends to conclude its restructuring this month. It is set to report financial results for 2025's fourth quarter on 26 February.