Norse Atlantic Airways has launched a flight from London Gatwick to Atlanta for fans travelling to watch England play Argentina in the World Cup this week.
The airline added the flight after England beat Norway 2-1 last Saturday, securing a semi-final place in Atlanta on Wednesday.
Tickets are on sale now, departing Gatwick at 19:40 on Tuesday 14 July, arriving in Atlanta at 23:30. The flight will return on Thursday 16 July at 22:30, arriving in London on Friday 17 July at 11:25.
The flight will operate on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, with space for 338 passengers.
Norse CEO Eivind Roald said: “We have spent the past weeks helping Norwegian fans follow their team across the United States. After England’s win, it felt completely natural to offer English supporters the same opportunity.
“Gatwick is one of our large airports and we want to help make the semi-final journey possible for as many fans as we can.”
Until Norway was knocked out on Saturday, the airline had operated dedicated flights to the tournament for Norwegian fans.
Eivind added: “Of course we would have loved to see Norway continue. But if anyone was going to end the Norwegian dream, there is something special about it being England. The football ties between Norway and England run deep.
“Many Norwegians have grown up with English football as part of their lives and are eager to see ‘football coming home’.
“We learned from the Norwegian flights that something special happens when supporters travel together. Songs start, strangers become friends and the whole aircraft becomes part of the build-up. That is what we want to create for England fans on the way to Atlanta.”
Meanwhile, 1.97 million passengers travelled through Heathrow Airport to North America in June, up 1.2% year-on-year. The airport attributes the increase to fans travelling for the World Cup.
