The case in summary: The Norwegian Competition Authority is considering banning Norwegian’s acquisition of Widerøe due to fears of weakened competition, higher prices and fewer departures. Air passengers in Northern Norway are concerned about potentially more expensive tickets in the event of an acquisition. A commuter between Eastern Norway and Finnmark has spent around NOK 200,000 on plane tickets over the past five years and fears increased prices. Flight analyst Hans Jørgen Elnes believes that the fear of more expensive tickets is exaggerated. He argues that Norwegian is a solid company with good control over costs, and that they will want to fill up Widerøe’s aircraft at prices the market is willing to pay. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. On Friday morning, the Norwegian Competition Authority announced that it is considering banning the airline Norwegian’s acquisition of Widerøe. The reason? They fear that weakened competition in the market could result in higher prices and fewer departures. It sets minds ablaze all over Northern Norway. – The plane tickets are very expensive. I’m not a fan of the prices as they are now, says Veronika Håkonsen Lie. Veronika Håkonsen Lie and the rest of the family go on a trip to London on the occasion of her mother’s 60th birthday. Photo: Andreas Nilsen Trygstad / news – What do you think that the Norwegian Competition Authority fears that it could become even more expensive if Norwegian buys Widerøe? – That is unacceptable. It’s absolutely insane. She is supported by her sister Susanne. – It’s f***ing expensive to fly north. One thing is if you are flying from Oslo. It’s cheap, and you can get a return trip for around NOK 300. From here you barely get a bus ticket to Fauske for that price. Estimates to have spent 200,000 on plane tickets in five years Bjørn-Willy Pettersen has commuted for a number of years between the east country and Finnmark and has already grown tired of spending huge sums on flights. The garage he has been planning to build for several years will not be finished any time soon. – I have been commuting to and from Finnmark for five years now and it is terribly expensive. It has cost me roughly 5000-7000 each time for the last few years. And that’s quite a lot of money. – Can you estimate how much money you have spent on plane tickets in the last five years? – Maybe around NOK 200,000. I was supposed to build a garage soon too, but it has been on hold for a while. Bjørn Willy Pettersen fears that the acquisition could result in more expensive plane tickets. Photo: Andreas Nilsen Trygstad / news Thinks the fear of more expensive tickets is exaggerated Aviation analyst Hans Jørgen Elnes in Winair tells E24 today that he is surprised that the competition authority is lukewarm about the acquisition. – We must remember that less than a year ago we had an airline in Norway called Flyr. They came with low prices, but it didn’t work. He believes that we must take into account that Norwegian has been through a heavy and major reconstruction of the company. – Now they have become a solid company with solid expertise in aviation. Widerøe is a regional airline that is struggling with its revenues and results. Expensive flights, more expensive Flight analyst Hans Jørgen Elnæs believes that the fear of more expensive tickets is exaggerated. Photo: news operation. They need a good owner who together will provide a much better offer throughout. Elnæs does not believe that less competition means more expensive flights. – They don’t buy Widerøe so they don’t have to fly with full planes. Norwegian is a low-cost company, they have good control over their costs. It is something Widerøe needs to get assistance with and get better at. They want to fill up Widerøe’s planes, and they have to do that by offering prices that the market is willing to pay, he says and adds: – I think it is exaggerated that less competition means worse prices. They must deliver on price as well.
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Could be a ban on the airline Norwegian’s purchase of Widerøe – reacts to expensive flights – news Nordland
