Budget airline Norse Atlantic Airways announces it will serve more US destinations from Gatwick with return trip to New York available for £255
- Norse Atlantic Airways been given the go-ahead to operate one-way flights
- They began flying from Gatwick and New York in August, available from £255
- But aviation regulations forced them to offer Norway connection every flight
A budget airline has announced that it will serve more US destinations from Gatwick – with a return trip from New York going for as little as £255.
Norse Atlantic Airways said that they have been given the go-ahead to operate one-way flights between the West Sussex airport and the US for its UK subsidiary.
The company said the Department of Transportation (DOT) in the US proposed to grant them a foreign air carrier permit.
Norse began flying between Gatwick and New York in August, with return trips available from £255.
Norse Atlantic Airways said that they have been given the go-ahead to operate one-way flights between the West Sussex airport and the US for its UK subsidiary
But aviation regulations meant it was forced to offer a connection with Norway for every flight.
The authorisation from the US will allow the company to run flights to and from the UK without the Norway connection, paving the way for it to expand its route network.
This could lead to Norse launching flights between Gatwick and US locations such as Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando from the end of March 2023.
Norse said the DOT found its subsidiary, Norse Atlantic UK, is a ‘financially and operationally sound business’, and it is in the interests of US citizens to allow it to serve the country.
An operating licence was issued by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority last month.
Norse began flying between Gatwick and New York in August, with return trips available from £255
Norse chief executive Bjorn Tore Larsen said: ‘We are very thankful for the support that we have received on both sides of the Atlantic throughout our application.
‘This milestone represents a huge step in creating competition in the transatlantic market that will benefit consumers, stimulate business travel and lead to job creation.
‘We are pleased that we will continue to deliver on our pledge to democratise transatlantic travel and we look forward to expanding our point-to-point route network between London Gatwick and the US as part of our summer 2023 schedule.’
Norse’s first flight from Oslo to New York was in June this year.
Now, the authorisation from the US will allow the company to run flights to and from the UK without the Norway connection, paving the way for it to expand its route network.
It has a fleet of 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
The airline hopes to succeed where Norwegian Air Shuttle (NAS) failed.
NAS operated transatlantic flights with low fares but axed its long-haul operations in January 2021 due to heavy losses.
It was founded by Bjorn Kjos, who resigned as chief executive in July 2019 and holds a minority stake in Norse.
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