On Monday (13 February), Norse said it was "ramping up towards the summer 2023 season", during which more than half of its operational fleet will be based at Gatwick.
Norse operated 229 flights in January, carrying just over 35,000 passengers on a load factor of 52%. It currently has 15 aircraft on its books, five of which are sub-leased out.
The airline was born out of the demise of Norwegian Air’s low-cost transatlantic operation during the pandemic, which was based out of Gatwick airport.
Setting out its plans on Monday to expand its UK operation, for which it was granted a UK air operating certificate from the CAA last September, Norse said it would this week launch for sale two new US destinations from Gatwick, which would sit alongside New York JFK in its summer schedule.
Prior to gaining its UK AOC, Norse – which is headquartered in Oslo – had to operate its transatlantic routes via the Norwegian capital.
"The beginning of operations of Norse Atlantic UK marks a milestone for the company," said Norse. "Further destinations from London Gatwick to the US for the summer 2023 schedule will be revealed by the end of February, and will lead to a substantial increase of the airline’s presence in the UK."
Norse has vowed to make its UK arm "a significant part of its business". It claimed strong New Year promotional sales and forward booking had ensured it was on track to deliver a strong summer 2023 programme.
It addition, Norse last month launched ticket sales for flights between Rome’s Fiumicino airport and New York JFK, which will become Norse’s fifth destination served from JFK when the daily service takes off on 19 June.
Bjorn Tore Larsen, Norse Atlantic chief executive, said: "Two targeted sales campaigns in January generated encouraging forward bookings and show demand for travel across the Atlantic remains strong.
"We expect a strong summer season across our network and especially in the UK as the investment that we have made in that market reaches its full potential."
