Norwegian Air to drive Gatwick growth - even if expansion bid fails

Norwegian Air has vowed to push ahead with plans to increase the number of flights it offers out of Gatwick Airport, even if the rival expansion bid at Heathrow wins the battle for govt backing. The govt’s long-awaited decision on Britain's future airport expansion could be made in favour of Heathrow as soon as this week, but a spokesman for the airline said this would not derail its plans to offer more flights from its Gatwick base. Earlier this year the airline spoke out publicly in favour of Gatwick’s proposed expansion, saying it would increase its existing capacity by 50 long-haul Boeing 787 Dreamliners if a second runway is built at the airport. A spokesman said that Norwegian had always backed Gatwick as the right choice for the Britain's next runway, but whatever the final decision, the airline’s UK growth plans remain unchanged. <br/>