Norwegian beats BA to New York

IT is 60 years since the British Overseas Airways Corporation – which would later become British Airways – launched the first ever passenger flight from London to New York.

But it has taken a relatively unknown budget airline from Scandinavia just over four years to steal BA’s transatlantic crown.

Official figures reveal Norwegian Air has overtaken Britain’s flagship carrier as the biggest non US airline flying to and from New York.

The Oslo-based airline flew 1.67m passengers in the 12 months to July 2018, while BA flew 1.63m passengers, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The number of passengers who flew with Norwegian on the key transatlantic route more than doubled in just a year from around three quarters of a million.

The airline, which launched its inaugural flight from London Gatwick to JFK airport on July 3 2014, said its meteoric rise underlined the strong demand for lower fares.

However, a BA spokesman said: ‘Our commitment to New York is as strong as ever.’