Norwegian to restart UK flights from 1 July

From 1 July, Norwegian will resume operations at Gatwick and Edinburgh airports, flying to Oslo and Copenhagen.

Gatwick-Oslo will operate daily, while Gatwick-Copenhagen will fly six-times-weekly.

Norwegian will operate both its Edinburgh-Oslo and Edinburgh-Copenhagen routes twice-weekly.

The airline has been operating just eight aircraft on Norwegian domestic routes since April owing to the effects of the coronavirus crisis.

Another 12 aircraft will re-join the fleet as Norwegian expands its operations across Scandinavia.

From July, the airline will operate 76 European short-haul routes from its Scandinavian hubs, flying to destinations in Spain, Greece and other key cities.

It has also pledged to add more destinations and increase frequencies "subject to passenger demand and government travel restrictions.

“Feedback from our customers has shown they are keen to get back in the air and resume their travels with Norwegian beyond the current domestic services we have been operating," said Norwegian chief executive Jacob Schram.

"Norwegian is returning to European skies with the reintroduction of more aircraft to serve our key destinations, which will ensure we remain in line with competing carriers.

"As competition in the industry begins to recover over the summer period, Norwegian will be in a position to continue to offer our customers great value and service while contributing to the gradual yet important return to normality for both the tourism sector and society as a whole."

’Small green shoots’

Norwegian has set out a new Covid health and safety regime for its resumption of operations, with passengers aged six and up required to wear face masks. Travellers will also be expected to socially distance during boarding and disembarkation, and will be dispersed as widely as possible throughout the cabin with mid-row seats the last to be occupied.

Hand luggage must be placed under the seat in front to reduce queuing in the cabin; any hand luggage too large to be placed under the seat in front must be checked in.

There will be no catering service onboard to reduce passenger-crew contact, while aircraft will be disinfected regularly with a renewed focus on contact points.

Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate added: “The restart of regular Norwegian services from Gatwick is very welcome news and reflects the strength of the relationship and success the airline has had at Gatwick in recent years, as well as the fact consumer demand is picking up as more people want to start flying again.

"For our part, the airport is ready to go and we have implemented a range of measures to protect the wellbeing and safety of both passengers and staff in recent weeks. The wellbeing and safety of passengers and staff remains Gatwick’s top priority.

"Combined with the health measures announced by Norwegian, today’s news demonstrates we are starting to see small green shoots of recovery.”