Press release -

Norwegian opens new base for long-haul operations at London Gatwick

Norwegian continues to expand internationally and has decided to establish a new long-haul base at London Gatwick Airport. Both pilots and cabin crew will be based at London Gatwick. The airline has become a major player at London Gatwick and is currently the only airline offering low-cost flights between the UK and the U.S.

“Our hiring in the UK has been well received and many pilots are keen to be based at London Gatwick and work for an innovative and forward-thinking company that offers highly competitive wages and conditions as well as the opportunity to fly the most technologically advanced aircraft in the skies today, the 787 Dreamliner,” said Director of Flight Operations Torstein Hoås at Norwegian.

Recruitment of Gatwick-based cabin crew will take place early next year. Norwegian is also recruiting pilots to its JFK base, where the company already has a cabin crew base.

A major player at London Gatwick
Norwegian has quickly become a major player at London Gatwick, where the airline offers direct routes to popular destinations. The company was earlier this year voted “Best Value for Money” in the UK by Sky Scanner. Meanwhile, in July this year, Norwegian was awarded the title “Best Low-Cost Airline in Europe” for the second year running by the renowned SKYTRAX.

Norwegian opened a crew base at London Gatwick in 2013 where the company now has 90 pilots and 200 cabin crew members based for its short haul operation. Norwegian will carry more than three million passengers to and from London Gatwick during 2014 and currently has 400 weekly flights and 41 routes operating from the airport.

In July this year, Norwegian celebrated its first flights between London Gatwick and three US cities; Los Angeles, New York and Fort Lauderdale. Launching long-haul routes between London Gatwick and the United States is also an important part of Norwegian’s strategy to expand internationally and get a stronger foothold in global markets.

Today, Norwegian has a long-haul fleet of seven 787 Dreamliners and ten more on order.

Media Contact:
Communications Manager Lasse Sandaker-Nielsen, tlf. + 47 45 45 60 12
Communications advisor Astrid Mannion, tlf: + 47 46 63 20 10


Topics

Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA, commercially branded “Norwegian”, is a low-cost airline listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. Norwegian is the second largest airline in Scandinavia and third largest low cost carrier in Europe. More than 20 million passengers fly on its network per year. Norwegian has a route portfolio that stretches across Europe into North Africa and the Middle East, as well as long-haul flights to the US and Southeast Asia. The company has a total of 417 routes to 126 destinations and employs approximately 4,500 people in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, UK, Spain and Thailand. The company has 258 undelivered aircraft on firm order. Norwegian was founded in 1993 and its headquarter is in Fornebu, Norway. In 2013, Norwegian was voted Europe’s best low-cost carrier of the year by the renowned SkyTrax World Airline Awards. Norwegian offers better leg room than most competitors, in-flight WiFi, world-class punctuality and a fleet of 96 aircraft with an average age of only 4.8 years.

Contacts

For journalists only

For journalists only

Press contact Norwegian Press Office +47 815 11 816
Marketing/sponsorhip requests: marketing@norwegian.com

Marketing/sponsorhip requests: marketing@norwegian.com

Press contact Marketing/sponsorship requests: marketing@norwegian.com

Norwegian.com

The Norwegian group is a leading Nordic aviation company, headquartered at Fornebu outside Oslo, Norway. The company has over 8,200 employees and owns two of the prominent airlines in the Nordics: Norwegian Air Shuttle and Widerøe’s Flyveselskap. Widerøe was acquired by Norwegian in 2024, aiming to facilitate seamless air travel across the two airline’s networks.

Norwegian Air Shuttle, the largest Norwegian airline with around 4,700 employees, operates an extensive route network connecting Nordic countries to key European destinations. In 2023, Norwegian carried over 20 million passengers and maintained a fleet of 87 Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

Widerøe’s Flyveselskap, Norway’s oldest airline, is Scandinavia’s largest regional carrier. The airline has more than 3,500 employees. Mainly operating the short-runway airports in rural Norway, Widerøe operates several state contract routes (PSO routes) in addition to its own commercial network. In 2023, the airline had 3.3 million passengers and a fleet of 48 aircraft, including 45 Bombardier Dash 8’s and three Embraer E190-E2's. Widerøe Ground Handling provides ground handling services at 41 Norwegian airports.

The Norwegian group has sustainability as a key priority and has committed to significantly reducing carbon emissions from its operations. Among numerous initiatives, the most noteworthy is the investment in production and use of fossil-free aviation fuel (SAF). Norwegian strives to become the sustainable choice for its passengers, actively contributing to the transformation of the aviation industry.

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