A new low-cost route between London and Bergen begins May 20th with EasyJet making its first foray into the Norwegian airline market. One of Europe’s biggest budget carriers will now challenge Norwegian Air and SAS on this busy route, targeting both business and leisure travellers.
The well known budget airline, set up from the United Kingdom in 1995 by Cypriot shipping magnate Stelios Haji-Ioannou, now flies 600 routes to 30 countries, with 23 bases in Europe alone.
“We’re looking at more routes to Norway,” Paul Simmons of EasyJet told newspaper Aftenposten this week. SAS’s response was that it has met competition previously operating flights from Copenhagen and will take budget carriers seriously.
The arrival of EastJet in Norway heralds an expansion that has seen it grow to employ 8,000 people and carry more than 60 million passengers in 15 years. Having established itself in a country it soon adds further routes or services, often using major airports – unlike its rivals.
Recently it began operating out of London’s Gatwick airport, giving its passengers more convenient access to long-haul flights. Previously it was solely based from the small Luton Airport, an hour’s train ride North of London. Bergen residents will now have cheaper access to Gatwick when connecting with flights to the US or Asia.
At the same time, another budget airline, Ryanair, is facing legal complaints over its operations in Norway.