Tag Archives: gatwick airport

Norwegian launches Boeing 787 flights from London Gatwick to Los Angeles, New York and Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood

Norwegian Long Haul (Norwegian Air Shuttle) (Norwegian.com) (Oslo) this week has expanded its Boeing 787 operations, this time from London’s Gatwick Airport (LGW). On July 2 the fast-growing airline launched Gatwick-Los Angeles service. Yesterday (July 3) Norwegian started Gatwick-New York (JFK) flights and today it will commence Gatwick-Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood service.

According to Norwegian, “almost all of the 291 seats on Norwegian’s 787 Dreamliner are fully booked on the launch trips to Los Angeles, New York and Fort Lauderdale.”

The airline continued (translated from Norwegian), “The launch of long-haul routes from London Gatwick is an important part of Norwegian’s global growth strategy and in a few years, it is Spain’s turn. We are excited that Norwegian’s routes between London and the United States are now running. We think that everyone should be able to afford to fly, even between Europe and the USA. The trans-Atlantic market has for too long been dominated by a few large airlines with expensive tickets and limited flexibility”, says CEO Bjorn Kjos.

In 2013, Norwegian launched the only low cost long-haul routes between the United States and Scandinavia, and between Asia and Scandinavia.

This past year, according to Norwegian, 100,000 Americans have flown with Norwegian and 200 000 passengers have traveled from Europe to the United States with the company.

According to Norwegian, “Currently Norwegian employs 300 American cabin crew at the base in Fort Lauderdale and in New York and 200 at the base in Bangkok. Norwegian had over 6,000 applications for the 300 posts in the United States. 150 pilots fly its 787 Dreamliner and 40 more pilots will be employed, including the base in New York.

Norwegian currently has seven 787 Dreamliners in service. By 2018 the company will have a long-haul fleet of 17 Dreamliners.

Norwegian’s current long-haul Boeing 787 routes:

From New York (JFK): Stockholm (ARN), Oslo (OSL), Copenhagen (CPH), Bergen (BGO and London (LGW)

From Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood (FLL): Stockholm (ARN), Oslo (OSL), Copenhagen (CPH) and London (LGW)

From Los Angeles (LAX): Stockholm (ARN), Oslo (OSL), Copenhagen (CPH) and London (LGW)

From Oakland, CA (OAK): Stockholm (ARN) and Oslo (OSL)

From Orlando (MCO): Oslo (OSL)

From Bangkok (BKK): Oslo (OSL) to Stockholm (ARN)

Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 787-8 EI-LNE (msn 34796) with Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen on the tail arrives in New York at JFK International Airport (JFK).

Norwegian:

Norwegian to continue to expand operations at London Gatwick

Norwegian Air Shuttle (Norwegian.com) (Oslo) continues to add new routes from its growing operation at London’s Gatwick Airport. The fast-growing low-fare airline will add two additional routes from LGW on September 15 per Airline Route: Berlin (Schoenefeld) and Warsaw.

Copyright Photo: Antony J. Best/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-86N LN-NOG (msn 35647) completes its final approach to the runway at London (Gatwick).

Norwegian:

British Airways to introduce five new routes from London Gatwick in the summer of 2015

British Airways (London) will start five new routes from the London (Gatwick) hub starting on April 26 and April 27 to Bodrum (Turkey), Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy), Dalaman (Turkey), Heraklion (Crete, Greece) and Rhodes (Greece). The routes will be operated with Airbus A319s per Airline Route.

Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A319-131 G-EUOF (msn 1590) lands at EuroAirport serving the Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg area.

British Airways:

easyJet’s new William Shakespeare Airbus A319 logo jet and oldest William Shakespeare are the center points of a new campaign to recognize the famous playwright on the British calendar

EasyJet (UK) (easyJet.com) (London-Luton) as previously reported, painted one of its Airbus A319 with likeness of playwright William Shakespeare. We now know the reason. The airline today (April 2) launched a campaign to get the playwright officially recognized on the British calendar. The airline issued this statement:

Britain’s oldest real life William Shakespeare (below) has today launched a campaign to get the world’s most famous playwright officially recognized in the British calendar.

The 91 year old, from Bristol, was joined by Stratford-upon-Avon MP Nadhim Zahawias. Mr. Zahawias signed the petition to recognize April 23 as the national William Shakespeare Day.

Copyright Photo: EasyJet. Will-I-Am: Britain’s oldest William Shakespeare (above) launches campaign to make April 23 official day of the Bard.

The duo launched the campaign at London’s Gatwick Airport by unveiling a special edition easyJet Airbus A319 (G-EZBI) with an image of William Shakespeare on the fuselage. The airline is backing the bid to get the Bard recognized and is helping to garner the 100,000 signatures necessary for the issue to be debated in parliament and trending online with #Shakesonaplane

Heritage and culture remain one of the key drivers of tourism to the UK (Visit Britain report) and easyJet has arranged a program of free Shakespearean performances at airports across the country to share the playwright’s most famous work. The airline’s special William Shakespeare plane will also operate on flights across easyJet’s network this summer to help promote the UK as one of Europe’s leading cultural hot spots. The campaign for national William Shakespeare Day will culminate on the 450th anniversary of the Bard’s birth this April 23.

William Shakespeare from Bristol, said: “It is such an honor to be chosen to launch this campaign to recognise my namesake. All my life I have been proud to share my name with such an iconic British figure and I think it is important we recognise his achievements with an official day in the calendar.”

Paul Moore, Communications Director for easyJet said: ‎”William Shakespeare is Britain’s most famous author so easyJet is proud to back the bid to make 23 April his national day. We are asking our UK passengers to sign the petition while suggesting to those from the rest of Europe that they visit the land of Shakespeare to learn more about him and see his works performed.

“Our campaign will run during April in our in-flight magazine read by 5 million passengers a month, across thousands of seat back adverts and we will be staging free Shakespearean performances at airports across the UK. Passengers can win free flights by writing a sonnet supporting the campaign and it will be launched with our special Airbus which will carry Shakespeare’s image on the side. Aviation and Shakespearean language combine for the name – Romeo Alpha Juliet.”

Nadhim Zahawi, MP for Stratford-upon-Avon said:

“Is it a Bard, is it a plane? William Shakespeare is one of Britain’s greatest gifts to the world, ‘he was not of an age, but for all time’, and I have long argued this sceptre’d isle should celebrate April 23 as a national holiday. I’m delighted that easyJet have chosen to campaign on this issue – let’s hope we can get it off the runway.”

EasyJet will be collecting signatures and offering free Shakespeare performances at the following airports this month:

• London Gatwick: April 12-13
• London Luton: April 14-15
• Edinburgh: April 14-15
• London Stansted: April 14-15
• Manchester: April 16-17
• Bristol: April 16-17

Top Copyright Photo: Antony J. Best/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A319-111 G-EZBI (msn 3003) is seen departing from Gatwick Airport near London. (all others by EasyJet).

EasyJet (UK):

EasyJet to expand operations at London’s Gatwick Airport after a new seven year agreement with GAL

EasyJet (UK) (London-Luton) has announced that it has agreed a new seven year deal with Gatwick Airport (GAL) from April 2014 which will incentivise the airline to grow at the airport and provide the framework for EasyJet and GAL to further improve customer experience for easyJet’s passengers.

EasyJet plans to continue to grow at Gatwick through increasing our slots and by deploying larger aircraft as EasyJet replaces 156 seat A319s with 180 seat A320s and, from 2017, A320neos. In the next fiscal year (ending in March 2015) alone the airline will increase capacity and passenger numbers by around 10% compared to the previous year.

The agreement has been reached within the new ‘commitments’ framework which will replace the current regulatory regime as confirmed by the CAA last year‎.

EasyJet started flying from London Gatwick Airport in 1999 and now has 57 aircraft based there, operating on 108 routes. The airline has around 1400 cabin crew and 700 pilots operating from the airport.

Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. William Shakespeare touches down at EuroAirport serving the Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg area on the fuselage of Airbus A319-111 G-EZBI (msn 3003).

EasyJet (UK):

EasyJet supports the decisions of CAA for London’s airports

EasyJet (UK) (easyJet.com) (London-Luton) has issued this statement concerning recent decisions by the CAA concerning the future of London’s airports:

“easyJet welcomes the CAA’s decision that Gatwick Airport has substantial market power and that as a consequence Gatwick needs continued regulation through an airport licence.

“easyJet also welcomes the significant changes the CAA has made to the assumptions on passenger growth and cost of capital which have led to a lowering of its estimate of fair airport charges from RPI +1.6% to RPI – 1.6%.

“easyJet supports the CAA’s endorsement of Gatwick’s Commitments proposal. However, it is now up to Gatwick Airport to show that this more commercial approach can deliver lower charges and improved service for airlines and their passengers.

“easyJet welcomes the inclusion of the costs of the any second runway in the licence so that these can be scrutinised by the regulator.

“easyJet also welcomes CAA’s announcement that robust plans to deliver operational resilience in major disruption will also be under CAA regulatory oversight.

“Finally, easyJet is supportive of the CAA’s approach to Stansted airport which under new ownership has shown itself willing to take a more commercial approach to airlines which will also benefit passengers.”

In other news, the company is planning to drop the new Southend-Edinburgh route on June 15, 2014 according to Airline Route.

Copyright Photo: Antony J. Best/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A319-111 G-EZBR (msn 3088) in the special “Airbus 100” holds short of the runway at London’s Gatwick Airport.

EasyJet (UK):

Strategic Airlines ends operations in Luxembourg

Strategic Airlines (Luxembourg) lost its major tour operator, Olympic Holidays, on October 3, 2012, forcing the company to go into administration (bankruptcy) the following day. The airline has suspended operations. The charter airline was operating three Airbus A320s. This ends the use of the Strategic Airlines brand unless the airline can find new investors. The company started operations in October 2010.

Strategic Airlines (Luxembourg):

Air Arabia Maroc arrives in London Gatwick

Air Arabia Maroc (airarabia.com) (Casablanca) on October 28 launched new service connecting Casablanca and Tangier with London (Gatwick). A total of five weekly flights will be operated between Morocco and the United Kingdom.

The new weekly flights between Casablanca and London-Gatwick Airport will operate on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays departing Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport at 09:45 and arriving in London-Gatwick Airport at 13:10. The return flight departs London-Gatwick Airport at 14:10 and arrives in Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport at 17:40.

Flights between Tangier and London-Gatwick Airport will operate on Thursdays and Sundays departing Tangier International Airport at 16:15 and arriving in London-Gatwick Airport at 19:25. The return flight departs London-Gatwick Airport at 12:15 and arrives in Tangier Airport at 15:30. All times are local.

Air Arabia Maroc:

Air Nigeria adds its first Airbus A330 as it returns to long-haul flying

Air Nigeria (Lagos) is leasing this Airbus A330-243 registered as SU-GCI (msn 696) from EgyptAir (Cairo). SU-GCI is named “Papa Do” and was leased on May 13, 2012. London (Gatwick) service was restored on May 16 after being suspended in January 2009.

In other news, IFE Services announced it has been selected by Air Nigeria as its in-flight entertainment(IFE) provider.

The agreement covers the provision of entertainment content across the airline’s fleet of A330s. Passengers in business class will be offered a complimentary iPad 3 on which to enjoy Nigerian, classic and latest release Hollywood movies as well as a broad selection of comedy, lifestyle, drama and kids TV shows. Air Nigeria is the first African carrier to offer the iPad 3 to passengers as an in-flight entertainment solution.

In economy class, passengers can enjoy latest release Hollywood movies and a selection of TV shows on the airplanes’ digital mainscreen systems. IFE Services is also producing a new animated safety film for the airline.

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