Norwegian (Oslo Gardermoen) has confirmed it will make its South American debut early in 2018. Using its Norwegian UK (London Gatwick) unit, the budget carrier said in a statement it will offer a 4x weekly, year-round, return service between London Gatwick and Buenos Aires Ministro Pistarini, Argentina, beginning February 14. Operations are onboard B787-9 equipment. Norwegian UK was designated the United Kingdom's second carrier to ply the UK-Argentina market in a revised Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) signed earlier this year.
“From Europe, the USA, Asia and now South America, our long-haul network is going global and the UK will continue to be at the heart of our ambitious plans for expansion," Norwegian CEO Bjorn Kjos said. "We also see huge potential in the Argentine market so this is not only a major milestone as our first South American route, it is also a first step towards ambitious plans for international and domestic growth in Argentina.”
As previously reported, the nascent Norwegian Air Argentina (Buenos Aires Jorge Newbery) is currently undergoing certification with the Argentine civil aviation authority (Administración Nacional de Aviación Civil - ANAC) and has also applied for multiple route authorities, both domestic and international. It hopes to launch with domestic towards year-end/early 2018.
