A low-cost airline just launched a rare new flight to Africa

While the last decade has brought with it an explosion of new budget airlines offering cheap flights from the East Coast of the United States to Europe, flights to other continents are significantly more rare due to the distance and subsequent expense.

Asia and South America have their own budget airlines such as AirAsia and the Scoot branch Singapore Airlines  (SINGF)  in the latter and GOL LinhasAéreas in the former but they usually fly between nearby cities in the continent rather than across the ocean.

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Launched in February 2021, Norwegian budget airline Norse Atlantic Airways  (NRSAF)  quickly found a customer base offering flights between New York and the Norwegian capital of Oslo for what in some cases amounted to $250 each way as it expanded to more destinations. Along with adding new flights to U.S. cities such as Miami and Los Angeles, Norse also set its sights on Bangkok in Thailand and Jamaica in the Caribbean.

Norse hopes to 'allow more people to visit this amazing destination'

"We are thrilled to introduce our new route between London and Cape Town," Norse Founder and CEO Bjorn Tore Larsen said in a statement. "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."

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The latest new route announced by Norse will launch on Oct. 28 and go from London’s Gatwick Airport (LGW) to Cape Town International Airport (CPT). The African continent is a first both for the airline and a rare choice for low-cost airlines based in Europe. 

The 5,188 nautical mile-route means that even a $620 ticket (that is the current rate announced by Norse) is significantly higher than the $2,000-range one would pay for a flight between London and Cape Town with a mainstream airline.

'Norse has continued to grow and expand connectivity'

The new route will depart from the London Gatwick Airport (LGW) commonly used by low-cost airlines going into the city. Taking place on a Boeing 787-9  (BA) , the flight will launch on Oct. 28 and run three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The new route also expands Norse Airways' London network to seven cities — the airline also has flights from LGW to Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Orlando and  Washington Dulles. 

While the name "Norse" suggests that the airline flies exclusively from Norway (and that is how the airline started out), it has been working to build a reputation as an international airline flying to many different places. The new route, the airline said, is also an effort to "break the duopoly" of having to pick between British Airways and South African Airways to go between the two cities.

"Norse has continued to grow at London Gatwick and provide excellent connectivity to a number of key markets across the U.S.," London Gatwick's Vice President of Aviation Development Stephanie Wear said in a statement. “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.”