Today Gatwick Airport welcomes WOW Air as it begins its twice-weekly service from Gatwick to Reykjavik, Iceland.

Departing from Gatwick every Monday at 1315hrs, the flight will arrive in Reykjavik at 1525hrs with the return flight departing Reykjavik every Friday at 1620hrs and arriving in to Gatwick at 2020hrs. The A320 aircraft can accommodate 168 passengers on its direct flight between the two cities.

Matt Wood, Head of Airline Relations at Gatwick Airport said: “We are delighted to welcome WOW Air and its passengers to the airport today. Reykjavik saw a 12% increase in UK tourists between 2010-11, and we feel that by adding this twice-weekly service we are catering for our passengers who want to visit phenomena’s such as the Northern Lights. It also means that in peak season Gatwick will have three carriers that cater for up to 15 flights leaving for Reykjavik every week.”

Over the past three years, Gatwick has been transforming the airport through a £1.2 billion investment programme to compete for airlines and grow passenger numbers. The delivery of speedier check-in and security processes for passengers and the direct and fast transport links into central London are just a few of the reasons why airlines such as Air China, Korean Air, Turkish Airlines and Vietnam Airlines have already chosen to operate from Gatwick this year alone.