A budget airline will operate non-stop flights from Gatwick to the United States from next summer.

Norwegian airline Norse launched its first UK-US flight in August between the Sussex airport and New York City for just £255, but the company could only operate routes to America via a connection in Norway. 

However, the airline been now granted a permit to allow direct flights across the Atlantic, with plans to expand routes to the US in the coming months.

Bjorn Tore Larsen, chief executive of Norse Atlantic Airways, said: “We are very thankful for the support that we have received on both sides of the Atlantic throughout our application.

“This milestone represents a huge step in creating competition in the transatlantic market that will benefit consumers, stimulate business travel and lead to job creation.

“We are pleased that we will continue to deliver on our pledge to democratise transatlantic travel and we look forward to expanding our point-to-point route network between London Gatwick and the US as part of our summer 2023 schedule.”

The airline was founded in February last year to serve European and North American markets with low-cost flights.