Passenger numbers slipped slightly at Norwegian in June as the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max continued to take a toll.

Some 3,475,337 passengers chose to fly with Norwegian in June; 21,948 less than the same month last year.

However, the company’s unit revenue improved by ten percent compared to the same month in 2018, seeing shares in the carrier rally seven per cent this morning.

In the longer-term, prices remain down nearly 80 per cent over the past 12 months.

“The total number of passengers declined slightly in June, due to the grounding of 18 Boeing 737 Max and less charter capacity.

“At the same time the number of long-haul passengers increased considerably.

“After taking delivery of one Dreamliner in June, we now have a long-haul fleet consisting of 36 new, more fuel-efficient aircraft.

“Following a period of significant expansion and investments, I’m pleased to see that the June figures show ten percent higher unit revenue and that our growth is slowing down, in line with our strategy of moving from growth to profitability,” explained chief executive of Norwegian, Bjørn Kjos.

Norwegian operated 99.4 percent of the scheduled flights in June.

However, just 71 per cent departed on time (unchanged compared to the same month last year).

The company’s on-time performance was impacted negatively by the grounding of the 737 Max aircraft, leading to the use of more wet lease aircraft.