Norwegian launches first ever flight from OAK to London
Oakland, Calif. - May 12, 2016: Starting today, Oakland International Airport (OAK) offers nonstop flights to Gatwick “Your London Airport” on Norwegian. The new three-times-weekly service marks the first nonstop route from OAK to the United Kingdom and the only nonstop to popular Gatwick Airport from Northern California.
The flights will operate aboard Norwegian’s new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft from Oakland International Airport, which is the San Francisco Bay Area airport closest to most of the local population, tourism and business venues.
Norwegian’s service from Oakland commenced two years ago, in May 2014, when the carrier launched service to Stockholm, Sweden, soon followed by service to Oslo, Norway. With the new route to London, Norwegian now offers more routes from California to Europe than any other airline.
“This is a significant development for travelers on both sides of the Atlantic,” said Bryant L. Francis, the Port of Oakland’s Director of Aviation. “Norwegian has made a very smart move connecting two globally leading metropolitan areas in a way that is convenient and affordable. Now, nearly four million East Bay residents are able to travel to this top European destination using the airport closest to their homes and businesses while enjoying award-winning service at very attractive prices.”
Fares for the new service are available from as low as $299 one way, including taxes, on Norwegian.com/us.
“In as little as three years, we’ve launched three transatlantic routes from Oakland International Airport, and we see great potential for future growth from the Bay Area. This catchment area has a great deal of low-cost service, but none of Norwegian’s caliber. The Oakland routes are some of Norwegian’s best performing transatlantic routes,” said Bjørn Kjos, Norwegian’s CEO.
OAK is California’s fastest growing commercial airport* and Norwegian is the World’s Best Low-Cost Long-Haul Airline and the world’s fastest-growing airline.
About Norwegian
Norwegian is the world’s seventh largest low-cost airline and carried 26 million passengers in 2015. The airline operates more than 400 routes to over 130 destinations in Europe, North Africa, Middle East, Thailand, Caribbean and the U.S. Norwegian has a fleet of more than 100 aircraft, with an average age of 3.6 years, making it one of the world’s youngest fleets. Norwegian was named the Most Fuel-Efficient Airline on Transatlantic Routes by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). Norwegian was named the World’s Best Low-Cost Long-Haul Airline by the renowned SkyTrax World Airline Awards in 2015, and for the third consecutive year, named Europe’s Best Low-Cost Airline. Norwegian employs 5,500 people. The airline offers 39 nonstop routes from the U.S. to London, Paris, Scandinavia and the Caribbean.
Follow @Fly_Norwegian on Twitter, join the discussion on Facebook and keep up with our adventures on Instagram. For more information on Norwegian and its network, visit norwegian.com.
About Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is the UK’s second largest airport and the most efficient single-runway airport in the world. It serves more than 200 destinations in 90 countries for more than 40 million passengers a year on short and long-haul point-to-point services. It is also a major economic driver for the South East region, generating around 21,000 on-airport jobs and a further 10,000 jobs through related activities. The airport is south of Central London with excellent public transport links, including the Gatwick Express, and is part of the Oyster contactless payment network. Gatwick Airport is owned by a group of international investment funds, of which Global Infrastructure Partners is the largest shareholder.
The Government has indicated it will make a decision this year on whether Gatwick airport should be expanded. Gatwick’s second runway will deliver the UK the same number of passengers, the same number of long haul routes, better UK and regional connections, and the economic boost the UK needs, all at a dramatically lower environmental impact, at less than half the cost of Heathrow, and with no public subsidy. For further information on Gatwick Airport see www.gatwickairport.com or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Gatwick_Airport.
About Oakland International Airport
Oakland International is the fourth largest airport in California and second largest in the San Francisco Bay Area. Serving over 11 million travelers each year, OAK is the closest airport to the region’s top tourism and entertainment venues. It is also the closest airport for most local residents.
The airport currently offers air service to 53 destinations on 13 different airline brands – seven of which operate with OAK as their sole gateway into the San Francisco Bay region.
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