Norwegian Air will launch a new route from London Gatwick to Singapore from September 28, as the airline’s growing long-haul UK network expands into Asia for the first time, offering travellers another flight option when flying between the two major business hubs.

Norwegian will operate four weekly flights from the end of September, increasing to five in the winter, from London Gatwick to Singapore Changi Airport. The new route will be operated on the airline’s new state-of-the-art 787 Dreamliner offering up to 344 seats in both economy and Premium cabins.

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The airline already offers flights from London Gatwick to nine U.S destinations, including the newly announced routes to Seattle and Denver, and the new Singapore route will mark the first step in Norwegian’s ambitions to expand its existing long-haul network into a range of new global markets.

“These new direct flights between two of the world’s top three financial centres will be welcome news for business travellers, particularly at a time when global trade is increasingly important for the UK economy,” says Stewart Wingate, chief executive, Gatwick Airport. “Singapore is also a key tourist destination and gateway hub for long-haul travellers looking to venture further into Southeast Asia and Australia.

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The Singapore route will be operated by the UK subsidiary, Norwegian UK (NUK), which was established in 2015 to give the airline a stronger foothold in the UK market, and allow it to access bilateral traffic rights to a series of new markets in Asia, Africa and South America.

Norwegian carries 5.2 million UK passengers each year from four UK airports to more than 50 global destinations. The airline has one of the youngest aircraft fleets in the world with an average age of 3.6 years, and more than 200 new aircraft on order.

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