Norwegian to restart flights from 1 July in ‘very welcome’ announcement

Airline Norwegian has announced it will resume serving UK airports from 1 July due to increased demand.

The carrier will initially operate flights on four UK routes, connecting Gatwick and Edinburgh with Oslo and Copenhagen.

Since April, Norwegian has only operated domestic flights within Norway due to the collapse in passenger numbers caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

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

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

Mr Schram said Norwegian would offer “great value” as “competition in the industry begins to recover over the summer period”.

It has introduced a series of enhanced safety and hygiene measures, including requiring passengers to wear face masks, banning hand luggage from being put in overhead lockers, and not operating a catering service.

Last month the airline secured a £221 million loan backed by the Norwegian government as part of a rescue package to ensure its survival amid huge losses.

Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate, who has seen passenger numbers at his airport decimated during the pandemic, described the return of Norwegian flights as “very welcome news”.

He said: “Consumer demand is picking up as more people want to start flying again.”