According to airline sources, Ryanair is to start flying from Norwich International Airport (NWI) during the summer of 2024. This will be the first time the European low-cost giant has served the UK regional airport.
The airline will initially be serving three Mediterranean destinations from the airport, located in the east of England, approximately 120 miles (192 km) northeast of central London.
The airline is expected to formally announce services from Norwich to Alicante (ALC), Faro (FAO), and Malta (MLA) on December 6, when further details regarding each of the services are expected to be given. The start date for each of the new services will be April 1, 2024.
According to filings already made by the airline and seen by AeroTime, the company will serve each of the three destinations twice weekly, with departures from the airport leaving on each of the three new services on Mondays and Fridays throughout the northern summer season.
The exact timings of the new flights are yet to be confirmed by the carrier, although the filings seen by AeroTime indicate the following schedules:
Alicante-Norwich FR5886 0830-1010 Mon
Norwich-Alicante FR5887 1035-1415 Mon
Alicante-Norwich FR5886 1500-1640 Fri
Norwich-Alicante FR5887 1705-2045 Fri
Faro-Norwich FR5878 1515-1815 Mon / Fri
Norwich-Faro FR5879 1840-2140 Mon / Fri
Malta-Norwich FR5882 1730-1950 Mon
Malta-Norwich FR5882 1650-1910 Fri
Norwich-Malta FR5883 2015-0035+1 Mon
Norwich-Malta FR5883 1935-2355 Fri
Given the timings, it can be deduced that the airline will not be basing any aircraft at the airport for the time being, with each new service being operated by overseas-based aircraft.
The airline is no stranger to airports in this part of the UK. It already has extensive operations at London-Luton (LTN) and London-Gatwick (LGW) airports, as well as having its main UK operating base as well as a major maintenance facility at London-Stansted Airport (STN), located some 87 miles (132km) to the south of Norwich Airport.
Ironically, Ryanair served Southend Airport (SEN), another airport located in southeast England, until 2021, when it withdrew a handful of services from the airport due to the pandemic.
On December 6, in addition to the announcement regarding the new flight from Norwich, the airline is due to reveal services on 48 new routes for summer 2024 originating from its bases across Europe.