September traffic figures at Norwegian Air have been heavily influenced by lower demand caused by new and stricter travel restrictions across Europe.

A total of 319,370 customers chose to fly with the carrier last month, a decrease of 90 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Capacity, measured in available seat kilometres, was down 93 per cent, while total passenger traffic was 96 per cent lower.

The load factor was 52.8 per cent, down 37 percentage points on last year.

The company operated 99.2 per cent of its scheduled flights in September, with a 98 per cent on time departure.

Jacob Schram, chief executive of Norwegian, said: “In September several European countries were classified as ‘red’ by the authorities.

“We have seen that as soon as the authorities impose new travel restrictions demand is immediately impacted.

“We are continuously adapting our route network in line with changing demand, but the frequent changes in travel restrictions make forward planning difficult, both for us and our customers.

“Looking ahead, this continues to be a prolonged crisis that is far from over.”

The carrier has requested further government support, saying it was unlikely to make it through the quiet winter months without additional funds.