Norse, which will begin flights from Gatwick to New York JFK on 12 August, is also set to confirm Fort Lauderdale and Orlando as other initial destinations. 

These will be followed “soon after” by San Francisco, Baltimore/Washington (BWI) and Chicago’s Rockford airport (RFD), which is 85 miles from the city. 

In a filing to the US Department of Transportation, Norse said services to California’s Ontario airport (ONT), around 40 miles from Los Angeles, will start “once facilities for handling international cargo become available”. Norse will fly to the main LAX airport from Oslo and Berlin but is thought to have chosen Ontario as a lower cost alternative for its UK flights because of greater competition.

A UK subsidiary, Norse Atlantic UK, is being set up to operate these services. The Oslo-based airline said it had to take this step “due to the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union”.

It added: “Norse Atlantic UK anticipates beginning US operations in late 2022 with eight Boeing 787-9 aircraft in a two-cabin configuration (economy and premium) and a seating capacity of 338 passengers. 

“Norse Atlantic UK has applied for an Air Operator Certificate from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which it expects to receive in the next few weeks.”

Until it receives the UK licence, the Gatwick-New York flights will originate in Oslo.