Norwegian Air Shuttle announced on October 1, 2025, that it is reopening its base in Billund (BLL), in south-central Jutland, the continental part of Denmark.
The Nordic low-cost carrier will launch 10 new routes out of the Danish airport, mostly to southern European destinations. In particular, Norwegian is going to operate nonstop services from Billund to Barcelona (BCN), Milan-Bergamo (BGY), Chania (CHQ), in the island of Crete, Edinburgh (EDI), Rome-Fiumicino (FCO), Gran Canaria (GPA), Malta (MLA), Naples (NAP), Nice (NCE) and Porto (POR).
These new services will start in summer2026, with some flights to Chania, Naples, Nice, Porto and Malta only operating during the summer months for the time being.
Norwegian’s competitor Ryanair, which until recently was the largest operator at Billund, announced, in January 2025, that it was closing its base at the airport and redeploying the two Boeing 737 aircraft that had been based there. The Irish low-cost carrier attributed this decision to the introduction by the Danish government of a DKK50 (€6.7 / $7.8) charge per departing passenger in 2025, as well as to the failure to reach a long-term agreement with the airport operator.
This is not the first time that Norwegian has attempted to launch a significant operation out of Billund. The carrier established a base at the airport in 2019, but the combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and financial problems that forced the airline to downsize its operations, led to it being wound up.
However, Norwegian did keep some operations in Billund from where it already flies to Málaga (AGP), Alicante (ALC), Oslo (OSL), London-Gatwick (LGW) and, during the summer season, to Palma de Mallorca (PMI).
News of the Billund expansion follows other announcements confirming the airline’s financial recovery and its renewed quest for growth. On September 26, 2025, the airline confirmed it will exercise its option to purchase 30 additional Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft to fuel a further expansion of its operations.
