Norse Atlantic Airways has this week announced plans to operate flights between London Gatwick & Cape Town. Will they have a competitive edge?
The move from the airline has garnered attention in the industry surrounding the current duopoly on the route with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.
Without further ado, let’s get into it…
The New London-Cape Town Flights…
Norse Atlantic Airways will launch flights between London Gatwick and Cape Town on October 28.
These flights will operate on a thrice-weekly basis, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Commenting on the new route was the airline’s CEO Bjorn Tore Larsen:
“We are thrilled to introduce our new route between London and Cape Town.”
“By breaking the duopoly on this route, we are not only expanding travel options for consumers but also driving down costs and putting the customer back in the pilot’s seat.”
“At Norse Atlantic Airways, we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to experience the wonders of the world and our new route to Cape Town will allow many more people to visit this amazing destination”.
Adding to this was Stephanie Wear, VP Aviation Development, London Gatwick:
“We are proud to welcome another new route from Norse Atlantic, connecting passengers across London and the South East with Cape Town from October.
“Norse has continued to grow at London Gatwick and provide excellent connectivity to a number of key markets across the USA.”
“This new route to South Africa is great news not only for those looking for a fantastic holiday destination, but also for trade and inbound tourism.”
Taking on British Airways & Virgin Atlantic…
As @aviosAdventurer on X notes, Norse Atlantic Airways are offering very competitive prices on the London-Cape Town route.
Against the likes of British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, they are a whopping £289 cheaper.
This will play well into the airline’s hands, especially if customers are wanting to save money.
Even by flying to Cape Town indirectly, Norse Atlantic Airways are still cheaper:
- Qatar: £669
- Ethiopian: £708
- Swiss/Edelweiss: £702
- Kenya Airways: £718
- Rwandair: £744
So, there is clearly an opportunity for growth on this particular route for the airline.
Overall…
In conclusion, it will be interesting to see how the flights between London & Cape Town perform with Norse Atlantic Airways.
Whilst only starting seasonal, there is always scope to expand this to year-round if success is strong.
There is a big opportunity here for the airline to undercut British Airways and Virgin Atlantic in particular.
All eyes will be on whether this will turn into a price war of low cost vs. legacy.
Click the banner to subscribe to our weekly newsleter.
Click the photo to join our WhatsApp channel so then you can stay up to date with everything going on in the aviation industry!
