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London is getting a new long-haul route to a major Far Eastern FinTech hub

Nordic budget carrier Norwegian Air is launching a new direct route to Singapore later this year giving travellers a cut-price route to the Far Eastern city state from Gatwick.

Starting from 28 September, the airline will offer four flights a week on its 787 Dreamliner aircraft with a further scheduled flight added during the winter, forging a new link between two of the world’s thriving FinTech hubs.

It will mean Norwegian, which is most well-known for its low cost one-way flights to the US, will be operating ten long-haul routes from Gatwick Airport after recently launching its Seattle and Denver services, also from the South East airport.

In comments reported by City AM, Norwegian Air’s Chief Executive Officer, Bjorn Kjos, said that the UK was a core part of its ambitious growth plans and that the Singapore route would be the first to operate under its new Norwegian UK subsidiary.

He said: “Our transatlantic flights have shown the huge demand for affordable long-haul travel, so we are delighted to expand into new markets and offer our first route to Asia from the UK.

“Travel should be affordable for all so adding Singapore to our growing UK network will give passengers even more choice for affordable, quality travel to a range of global destinations.

“The UK is at the heart of Norwegian’s ambitious plans for growth so it is a significant moment not only to launch this exciting new route, but also for it to be the first long-haul route to take to the skies with our new ‘Norwegian UK’ subsidiary.”

Gatwick boss Stewart Wingate believes the new route will prove a hit with both holidaymakers and business travellers, and will forge an important post-Brexit global link between two of the world’s foremost financial hubs.

He commented: “These new direct flights between two of the world’s top three financial centres will be welcome news for business travellers, particularly at a time when global trade is increasingly important for the UK economy.

“Singapore is also a key tourist destination and gateway hub for long-haul travellers looking to venture further into Southeast Asia and Australia.”

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