Washington Dulles (IAD) welcomed Norse Atlantic's inaugural flight from London Gatwick (LGW) this week, with the airline launching its direct service on June 1st. The Norwegian carrier plans to operate the route up to six times weekly.

Norse Atlantic, a carrier of ten Boeing 787-9, deployed one of its five UK-registered aircraft, G-CKWP, nicknamed 'Grand Canyon,' to operate Washington's inaugural flight. The four-year-old 787, owned by BOC Aviation, was first deployed to Norwegian Air UK in December 2018.

With the two capitals now connected by yet another carrier, Bjorn Tore Larsen, CEO of Norse Atlantic Airways, celebrated:

“These two capital cities are perfect destinations for both leisure and business travelers; we look forward to a busy summer ahead as we become Gatwick’s largest carrier to the US.”

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Four US destinations

Washington becomes the low-cost carriers fourth US destination, now complementing New York, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale. This, however, will almost double to seven over the summer, with Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco due to start soon. Recently announced by the airline, Fort Lauderdale will soon be ditched by Norse, with the carrier opting for Miami effective September 18th.

Operating six times per week initially, every day except Tuesdays, the afternoon departure from Gatwick will have travelers in DC by dinner time, working to this schedule:

• Z0 740, departing from London Gatwick at 15:00, touching down at Washington Dulles by 18:20, with a flight time of nearly seven hours.
• Z0 741, returning from Washington Dulles at 20:25 and landing back to London Gatwick the following morning at 08:45, a slightly longer return flight sitting at seven hours and 15 minutes.

Once the summer rush ends, Norse will reduce its Washington connection to four times per week from September 1st. However, no doubt will reintroduce the almost daily service next summer.

Three more cities to come

The next Norse Atlantic flight off the rank at Gatwick will be its two new services to California. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) will be served daily from June 30th, and San Francisco International Airport (SFO) will take off thrice weekly (Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday) from July 1st before Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) joins the party in the fall, with its five-weekly service commencing on September 2nd, operating on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

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Not just Gatwick

In its home of Norway, Norse's other base, Oslo Gardermoen Airport (OSL), also has travelers patiently waiting for a flurry of new routes yet to launch. Like Gatwick, Olso will abandon Fort Lauderdale on September 15th, switching to Miami International Airport (MIA) on September 18th. Heading east, Thailand will soon feature on the carrier's route map, with Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), commencing November 2nd.

In addition to Oslo, the airline operates a direct service from Berlin Brandenberg (BER) and Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) directly across the Atlantic to New York JFK. Rome Fiumicino (FCO) will join the party on June 19th, heading to the big apple.

Currently, the carrier juggles its network with a fleet of ten 787-9, however patiently waiting for two more 787-9, and three 787-8, which will assist in its long-haul network growth ambitions.

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  London Gatwick Airport

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  LGW/EGKK

  Country:

  United Kingdom

  CEO:

  Stewart Wingate

  Passenger Count :

  6,260,000 (2021)

  Runways :

  08L/26R - 2,565m (8,415ft) | 08R/26L - 3,316m (10,879ft)

  Terminals:

  North Terminal | South Terminal