Norwegian (Oslo Gardermoen) has announced its Norwegian UK (London Gatwick) unit will make its intercontinental debut during the third quarter of the year.

According to the longhaul budget specialist, the UK-based carrier unit will start 4x weekly London Gatwick-Singapore Changi flights using B787-9 equipment effective September 28.

“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," Norwegian CEO Bjorn Kjos said. “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.”

Until this announcement, Norwegian UK's operations had been restricted to regional European services including Chania, Fuerteventura, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, and Stockholm Arlanda.