Norwegian is planning to set up a UK subsidiary as it seeks to expand its low-cost long-haul model.
The airline's CEO Bjorn Kjos told The FT it's in the process of obtaining a UK operating licence, which could see new routes to Africa, India and South America.
The new licence could also help Norwegian in its fight with US carriers over its transatlantic operations. The airline is currently in a dispute with Washington over flights it operates to the US using aircraft registered in Ireland.
An application for a permanent licence has been fiercely contested by some parts of the industry. They claim the main reason for the move is to bypass Norway’s strict labour laws, avoiding high labour costs and enabling it to employ cheaper workers.
Kjos voiced confidence that the airline will get the green light “sooner or later” for its Irish arm to operate flights to the US.
“The US airlines hate Norwegian because we are flying with low fares,” he told The FT. “They are trying to protect their turf by all means."
The airline's plans follow an announcement that it is to lunch a new four-times weekly route to Boston from Gatwick in May 2016.
This will be in addition to the introduction of a Puerto Rico service from Gatwick from November and daily flights to New York from October.
The airline said more than 200,000 passengers had flown on its low-cost transatlantic flights to New York, Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale in the past year.