Norse Atlantic Cape Town: Gatwick Flights Are Back, and the Schedule Ends 15 April 2027
SOUTH AFRICA · TRAVEL
Key Facts
- —What happened Norse Atlantic has resumed its seasonal London Gatwick to Cape Town flights for the 2026-27 southern summer.
- —How big Three departures a week now, rising to six a week in October and five over the summer.
- —What it means It is the only non-stop link between Cape Town and Gatwick; rivals fly from Heathrow instead.
- —The catch Nothing is listed after 15 April 2027, so an off-season return needs a different ticket.
- —Who it affects Travellers, expats and returning South Africans who book on price rather than on airline.
- —What comes next The airline is running a formal process that may end in a sale, merger or partnership.
Norse Atlantic Cape Town flights are running from London Gatwick again for the southern summer. It is a seasonal return, and the schedule listings stop in April 2027.
Norse Atlantic Cape Town flights are leaving London Gatwick three times a week again. The schedule runs to 15 April 2027 and then shows nothing at all.
A route that comes back with the southern summer
The Gatwick to Cape Town service is not new. It opened on 28 October 2024 and has returned every southern summer since.
Wikipedia’s route table marks it seasonal, and The South African called it a seasonal service at launch. That single word shapes everything else about the ticket.
The timing is deliberate. South Africa’s summer runs from roughly November to March, exactly when northern Europe is cold and dark.
Wesgro’s Cape Town Air Access team helped bring the flights in, The South African reported at launch. Gatwick’s own route development team worked on it too.
If the city is more than a holiday, our guide to the cost of living in Cape Town covers the monthly bills.
Three departures a week now, six in October
Flight Z0 795 leaves Gatwick on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday this month, and Z0 796 flies back. FlightConnections last refreshed those times on 13 September 2026.
The service then thickens for the peak. October reaches up to six departures a week, November drops to about four, and December to March hold at five.
Every flight is a Boeing 787-9, operated by Norse UK, the airline’s British arm. Two cabins are sold and no more: Economy and Premium Economy.
The southbound leg takes about 11 hours and 30 minutes. The return runs roughly 11 hours and 45 minutes across 5,987 miles (9,635 km).
The last Gatwick departure in the schedule is 15 April 2027. May 2027 and everything after it are empty.
Norse Atlantic Cape Town flights have no listed departure after that day. About next spring the airline has said nothing.
What the cheap seat leaves out
Norse is a low-cost carrier, and its fares are unbundled. You buy the seat first and then buy back everything an old-fashioned ticket included.
The South African reported a Cape Town to Gatwick fare of R3,387 (about US$210) one way in October 2024. That was a promotional economy light fare on selected dates, taxes included.
Currency conversions use the 13 September 2026 rate of 16.14 rand to the US dollar, from open.er-api.com. Season fares move, so treat any headline number as a floor and not a price.
The South African set out the range at launch. Seat-only sits at the bottom, and premium economy brings catering, a larger seat and checked baggage.
That economy light fare carried a cabin bag and a personal item, but no chosen seat and no meal. Change fees and add-on prices only appear during booking, so read the final total.
Gatwick is not Heathrow, and the difference is the connection
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic fly Cape Town to London Heathrow. Norse is the only airline on the Gatwick run.
Heathrow is a connecting hub, so an arrival can feed straight into another flight on one ticket. Norse sells its long-haul seats point to point instead.
The South African reported at launch that an easyJet agreement lets passengers carry on across Europe. Wikipedia also lists tie-ups with Norwegian, FlySafair and Aegean Airlines.
None of that is the same as one through-ticket with one airline. Leave a generous gap before anything you have to catch after landing.
Who serves Africa’s long-haul routes is the larger question behind this one. We looked at it in our piece on airlines feeding foreign hubs.
The airline behind the ticket is looking for a buyer
Norse Atlantic is four years old and still losing money. It reported revenue of US$132 million for the second quarter of 2026.
Its EBITDAR came in at negative US$8.4 million. EBITDAR measures earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation and aircraft rent.
Demand was not the problem. The load factor reached 94 percent and unit revenue rose 23 percent.
Fuel prices and lower aircraft use pushed the quarter into a loss anyway. Full aircraft do not always mean a profitable airline.
In July the board turned its strategic review into a formal process. The company said this may result in a sale, merger or partnership.
Norse also dropped its Los Angeles summer programme this year to protect margins. Routes get pulled when the numbers stop working.
Booking a route that disappears in April
Check your return date before you check the price. A seasonal route can look cheap and still strand you outside the season.
Nothing is listed after 15 April 2027. Last season Norse stretched the route into May 2026, so the date can still move.
Do not plan around it moving. A June return currently means another airline, and British Airways flies from Heathrow all year.
Buy the bag and the seat at booking if you know you need them. Airport add-ons are the slow and expensive way to do it.
Travel insurance earns its keep on a thin seasonal route. With three to five flights a week, the next available seat can be days away.
More: South Africa news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Gatwick to Cape Town flight a new route?
No. It opened on 28 October 2024 and runs every southern summer, so this is a seasonal restart rather than a launch.
How often does Norse fly from London to Cape Town?
Three a week in September 2026 and up to six in October. From December to March the schedule holds at five a week.
Does the cheapest fare include baggage and meals?
No. Fares are unbundled, and only the premium economy fare was described at launch as including catering, a larger seat and checked baggage.
What if I need to fly back in June or July?
No Gatwick departures are listed after 15 April 2027, although the airline extended last season into May. The Heathrow services are the usual fallback.
Sources: FlightConnections, London Gatwick to Cape Town schedule, updated 13 September 2026; FlightConnections, non-stop flights from Cape Town; Norse Atlantic ASA, second quarter 2026 results, 20 August 2026; Norse Atlantic ASA, operational and strategic update, 31 July 2026; The South African, what to expect from the Cape Town flights, 4 May 2024; The South African, one-way Cape Town to London economy light fare, 21 October 2024; The South African, Norse expands Gatwick to Cape Town to six weekly, 9 September 2025; Wikipedia, Norse Atlantic Airways route and fleet tables; open.er-api.com.
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