Norwegian Air to offer two direct flights to US from Northern Ireland

By Maria McCann

Norwegian Air is to start offering direct services between Northern Ireland and the US.

The five weekly flights to Greater New York and Boston airports will begin in July.

The low cost carrier will fly to Stewart International Airport, which is situated in New York State, 90 minutes away from the Big Apple.

It's also offering a service to Providence, Rhode Island giving passengers access to Boston.

Fares start from £69 one way.

The announcement has been welcomed following a decision by United Airlines to pull the plug of its Newark service.

Norwegian CEO Bjorn Kjos said: “Norwegian are shaking up transatlantic travel once again with ground-breaking fares and never before seen routes. We are delighted to announce our first ever flights from Belfast and to ensure the city maintains its crucial transatlantic links.

The cost of transatlantic travel has been too high for too long so by connecting Northern Ireland with smaller US airports, we can offer some truly affordable fares, allowing as many people as possible to fly.

Graham Keddie, Managing Director, Belfast International Airport, said: “Both symbolically and from an economic standpoint, the New York link is the best possible boost for Northern Ireland. We’re set to see a reduced Corporation Tax rate to help boost our inward investment, and it would have been undermined if we didn’t have a direct service.

“It was vitally important for Northern Ireland to re-connect with the United States of America. Without a direct air link, the job of attracting new investment and expanding Northern Ireland tourism would be a lot harder.

IT'S OFFICIAL: @Fly_Norwegian @NorwegianUK will fly from here to Stewart Int., New York, and Providence, Rhode Island (Boston) from July.

— Belfast Airport (@BelfastAirport) February 23, 2017

“Now, Norwegian, which has one of the youngest fleets in the business, has stepped up to the mark. There is an established market and re-instating a New York service was the main objective.

The MD said securing Boston was the icing on the cake!

“This is a great day for the airport, Northern Ireland, indeed, the entire northern half of the island of Ireland. The Norwegian fare structure will be unbeatable, and we expect that that will prove hugely attractive to people living across the border who are tired of paying top dollar for trans-Atlantic services.”

Welcoming the new route the Northern Ireland Economy Minister, Simon Hamilton, MLA said: 

“This announcement of a new direct transatlantic service provided by Norwegian from Belfast International Airport, will ensure that Northern Ireland’s air connectivity to the United States is maintained. Direct flights to the United States are critically important to Northern Ireland in respect of inbound tourism, trade and investment. 

Press Conference underway with @Fly_Norwegian CEO Bjorn Khios and our MD @grahamck63 #2newUSAroutes pic.twitter.com/KcDuPb6N3k

— Belfast Airport (@BelfastAirport) February 23, 2017

“I have worked alongside Belfast International Airport and Norwegian to put this new service in place and I will continue to work with our airports and others to improve connectivity. This is why I announced that I want to establish an air routes task force to ensure that we can continue to identify new routes and new airlines. I hope that this service will prove successful and be able to expand, in due course.”

Norwegian is Europe’s third largest low-cost carrier, carrying 30 million yearly passengers to more than 140 global destinations.

Norwegian has been voted the Best Low-Cost Long-Haul Airline for two consecutive years at the renowned SkyTrax Awards, and the Europe’s Best Low-Cost Airline for four consecutive years.