Norwegian Air Buys 222 Airbus, Boeing Planes for £14bn

Aircraft manufacturers in the UK have received a welcome boost as a Norwegian airline places a huge order for new planes.

Norwegian Air Shuttle, a Nordic-based European airline, is renewing its fleet with an order for 222 aircraft from Boeing and Airbus in what's billed as the largest ever deal of its type in Europe.

The order is worth a total of 127bn Norwegian krone (£13.75bn) and both of the aircraft manufacturers have bases in the UK.

"Today is a historic day for Norwegian. The order is the largest ever in European aviation history and marks a major milestone in the company's 10-year history," said Bjørn Kjos, chief executive of Norwegian Air Shuttle.

"We have secured our fleet renewal for years to come and are very pleased with the agreements with both Airbus and Boeing."

The order includes 100 of the new Boeing 737 MAX8, 22 Boeing Next-Generation 737-800 and 100 Airbus A320neo.

"Norwegian has become one of the largest 737 operators in Europe and has been a valued Boeing partner since the airline was established," said Aldo Basile, Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president Sales, Europe.

"Since it began operating in 2002, Norwegian has achieved tremendous success with its low-cost model, providing significant value to both its passengers and shareholders.

"Improved financial performance and improved environmental performance go hand in hand as fuel burn is lowered," he said, adding: "We're really pleased to provide this great performance to Norwegian."