Nordic no-frills carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle is to establish a new base at Gatwick from spring 2013.
The carrier will base three aircraft at Sussex airport, which according to Gatwick will enable it to offer 14 new routes from the airport to the Mediterranean including destinations such as Nice, Marseille, Rome, Barcelona, Faro, Split and Dubrovnik.
Norwegian will also increase frequencies on existing routes from Gatwick to Oslo (from three to four flights per day) and Stockholm (from three to five daily services).
Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate said: “We are delighted that Norwegian has chosen to grow its operations out of Gatwick by establishing its UK base here.
“Since Norwegian moved its Scandinavian routes from Stansted to Gatwick a few years ago we have worked hard to make that move a success. Their decision to establish their UK base at Gatwick demonstrates the strength of Gatwick’s offering to airlines.”
By establishing a base at Gatwick, Norwegian will be competing against fellow no-frills carrier Easyjet in what is the UK carrier’s largest base.
Easyjet already offers flights on the majority of routes Norwegian plans to offer, and it will be entering an increasingly crowded Gatwick-Barcelona market, with Easyjet and Monarch already serving the route, and Vueling and BA also set to launch flights next year.
Bjorn Kjos, CEO of Norwegian, added: “By establishing a new base in London, Norwegian will be positioned to meet the future competition on short-haul routes within Europe as well as long-haul routes globally. Growth and volumes are necessary to stay competitive in the airline industry.”
norwegian.com