Norse Atlantic Airways has begun selling tickets for flights between London and New York as the budget carrier seeks to take market share on one of the world's busiest long-haul routes.
Round-trip fares for journeys between London's Gatwick and John F Kennedy International Airport will start at £255 ($322), including taxes, the airline said. Daily flights on the route begin on August 12 using Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
Norse Atlantic will offer a daily service, with other US destinations to be announced soon, the company said.
The airline, which has its maiden flight scheduled for Oslo-New York on June 14, hopes to succeed where Norwegian Air failed, offering transatlantic flights at budget rates after securing cheap leases during the pandemic.
It operates a fleet of 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, although four of the aircraft are currently on sub-lease to Spain's Air Europa.
While the favourable terms of its leases and the fuel efficiency of its modern aircraft should give it an edge on cost, the question is whether it can fill the planes and generate enough revenue to be profitable.
"It is always a bit of a risk when you are in the airline business, but we think it's a pretty good timing," chief executive Bjoern Tore Larsen told Reuters.
Mr Larsen, an aviation enthusiast and the company's biggest shareholder, made his fortune in the shipping industry and controls ship management group OSM Maritime.
The United States is his personal favourite travel destination, and he believes there is a massive demand for budget travel between Europe and North America.
"We are pretty sure we will fill these aircraft with Americans going to Europe and Europeans going to America," he said.
Norwegian operated transatlantic flights with low fares but axed its long-haul operations in January 2021 after heavy losses.
The company was founded by Bjorn Kjos, who resigned as chief executive in July 2019 and holds a minority stake in Norse.
Mr Larsen said: "We are very pleased to now be able to welcome customers looking to book great value flights between London Gatwick and New York JFK.
"Customers now have an affordable option allowing them to book a last-minute trip or a holiday of a lifetime with an airline that offers choice and flexibility."
The launch of Norse flights from Gatwick will be a major boost for the West Sussex airport, which has been badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
It closed one of its two terminals between June 2020 and March because of the collapse in passenger numbers.
Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate said: "We are delighted to welcome Norse Atlantic Airways to Gatwick.
"It's always great to see a new tail on the airfield, but the arrival of a new airline following the turbulent past two years for the industry, and one that will be offering fantastic long-haul routes across the Atlantic, is particularly exciting news.
"Passengers across London and the South East will now be able to benefit from another transatlantic service from Gatwick, with Norse offering excellent value for money for those flying out for a dream holiday, or important business trip, to New York, one of the world's most famous and dynamic cities."
Feeder network
As a pure long-haul player, Norse Atlantic lacks a feeder service from regional connections, which could make it hard to sell seats beyond top routes such as London-New York, said James Halstead, managing partner at consultancy Aviation Strategy.
"Very few [long-haul] routes around the world survive on pure O&D traffic," Halstead said, referring to traffic from a single origin to a single destination.
Norwegian Air is, however, in talks with Norse to see whether schedules could align for it to act as a feeder service, Norwegian Air's chief executive Geir Karlsen said.
"If we can collaborate on some front on the destinations, then we are happy to do so," he said.
Mr Larsen said he expected to introduce flights from Paris to the United States this summer.
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FA Cup semi-finals
Saturday: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur, 8.15pm (UAE)
Sunday: Chelsea v Southampton, 6pm (UAE)
Matches on Bein Sports
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
BLACKBERRY
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Race 3
Produced: Salman Khan Films and Tips Films
Director: Remo D’Souza
Cast: Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Salem
Rating: 2.5 stars
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
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The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Off-roading in the UAE: How to checklist
