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Norwegian reveals its biggest ever year of growth in 2018

Low-cost airline Norwegian reveals its plans for 2018 as the award-winning carrier’s rapid expansion will take the airline to new heights. Norwegian will build upon its growth by launching new long-haul routes – including its first service to South America, introducing a new enhanced Premium cabin and inflight Wi-Fi to new long-haul aircraft. Norwegian will also add more affordable flights to its most popular USA destinations.

Europe’s third largest low-cost carrier flew 5.8 million passengers from the UK & Ireland and launched more than 15 routes in 2017. Some of its successes include commencing groundbreaking transatlantic flights from Scotland, Belfast and Ireland to smaller US east coast cities and taking low-cost long-haul global with the world’s longest low-cost route between London and Singapore.

Norwegian’s continued expansion is cleared for take-off and here are five developments to expect from the airline in 2018:

  1. Norwegian’s first route to South America – On 14 February, Norwegian will launch its first route to South America with a brand new direct service from London Gatwick to Buenos Aires available from £299 one way. Four flights per week on the 787 Dreamliner will unlock more affordable travel to Argentina, offering travellers access to a unique mix of European and Latin American culture.
  2. New enhanced Premium cabin to fly on the 787 Dreamliner - Norwegian will introduce an expanded Premium cabin which will have 60% more seats for passengers wanting an enhanced experience. The new 56 seat cabin configuration will offer passengers more than a metre of legroom and 11” Panasonic monitors providing hours of complimentary inflight entertainment. The new cabin will be fitted on Norwegian’s final 20 787 Dreamliner orders set for delivery from February onwards.
  3. Chicago and Austin to become newest US destinations – Norwegian will add Chicago and Austin to its growing list of long-haul destinations from Gatwick this spring. From £149.90 one way, holidaymakers and business travellers can fly daily to the Windy City which launches on 25 March. From 27 March, Norwegian will commence a new three weekly service to Austin, Texas, known for its world-famous cultural scene and for providing the backdrop to the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival. Direct flights are available from £164.90 one way.
  4. Introducing Wi-Fi on more state-of-the-art aircraft joining Norwegian’s fleet – Norwegian will add 11 Boeing 787 Dreamliners to its fleet in 2018 which are exclusively used on long-haul routes from Gatwick. 10 of these new aircraft will feature the enhanced Premium cabin. Meanwhile 12 new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft will land in Norwegian’s fleet this year to service the carrier’s great value transatlantic flights from Edinburgh, Belfast and Ireland to the US east coast. Later in 2018, Norwegian will begin to rollout inflight Wi-Fi on long-haul routes that will keep passengers connected in the skies.
  5. Daily Boston flights and planned increases for Oakland and LA – Next spring, Norwegian will increase the number of flights on some of its most popular routes from Gatwick. Boston increases from five weekly flights to a daily service with fares from £134.90 one way. Plans are underway to increase Oakland-San Francisco to a daily service and more flights are planned to Los Angeles, with twice-daily departures on select days of the week. Visit www.norwegian.com/uk for the latest news and updates on flights.

Thomas Ramdahl, Chief Commercial Officer at Norwegian said: “This year will see us fly to new heights as the UK will continue to be centre stage for our international growth. We want to fly people further for the best possible value which is why we’re investing for the future in low-cost long-haul travel. We’re upgrading the long-haul passenger experience by introducing a bigger Premium cabin, inflight Wi-Fi and more brand-new aircraft to service our expanding network. It has never been a better time to fly Norwegian and we’re excited to launch affordable flights from London to Argentina where we have active plans to take-off this year.”

  • ENDS

Notes to editors

  • Prices are based on the lowest available fare per person and include all mandatory taxes and charges
  • Seats are subject to availability. Lowest fares are visible on Norwegian’s Low Fare Calendar

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Topics


Norwegian in the UK:

  • Norwegian carries 5.8 million UK passengers each year from London Gatwick, Edinburgh and Manchester Airports to 50 destinations worldwide
  • Norwegian is the third largest airline at London Gatwick, with 4.6 million yearly passengers, and with more than 1,000 UK-based pilots and cabin crew
  • In 2014, Norwegian introduced the UK’s first low-cost, long haul flights to the U.S. - the airline now flies to 11 U.S destinations and Singapore with fares from just £139 one way
  • In 2017, Norwegian also launched affordable transatlantic flights from Edinburgh, Belfast, Dublin, Cork and Shannon to the US East Coast, using the brand new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft
  • Norwegian is the only airline to offer free inflight WiFi on UK flights to more than 30 European destinations
  • The airline has one of the youngest aircraft fleets in the world with an average age of 3.6 years, including next-generation Boeing 787 Dreamliners, Boeing 737 MAX and Boeing 737-800s
  • Norwegian has been voted ‘Europe’s best low-cost carrier’ by passengers for five consecutive years at SkyTrax World Airline Awards from 2013-2017, along with being awarded the ‘World's best low-cost long-haul airline’ in 2015, 2016 and 2017
  • Norwegian Reward is the airline's free to join award-winning loyalty programme offering members CashPoints and Rewards that reduce the cost of Norwegian flights

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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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