Jet flies from New York to London in just 5 hours 13 minutes!

Goodness, there would hardly have been time to watch a movie! Low-cost airline Norwegian has set a new record time for the fastest ever transatlantic flight by a passenger jet of just FIVE HOURS 13 MINUTES.

Admittedly, the Dreamliner was helped by a massive tailwind, but even so, it’s very impressive. The Norwegian flight from New York to London, carrying 284 passengers, departed JFK at 11:44am on Monday and arrived at Gatwick at 9:57pm – 53 minutes early.

The plane had an extra push on the journey, of nearly 3,500 miles, from strong tailwinds over the Atlantic Ocean that reached a maximum of 202mph. These helped the aircraft to a top speed of 776mph during the flight.

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft used on the record-breaking transatlantic flight adorns British tail fin hero Amy Johnson, a pioneering pilot who was the first female to fly solo from England to Australia in 1930. Norwegian honours iconic figures on the tails of its aircraft, using personalities who symbolise the spirit of Norwegian through innovation, challenging the norm, and inspiring others.

New York to London

Record-breaker: Captain Harold van Dam in command of the flight

Captain Harold van Dam at Norwegian said: “The 787 Dreamliner is a pleasure to fly and it’s a great feeling to know that we have set a new record in this aircraft. We were actually in the air for just over five hours and if it had not been for forecasted turbulence at lower altitude, we could have flown even faster.”

The day before the record-breaking flight, Gatwick-based Captain Pascal Niewold recorded his fastest ever transatlantic flight of 5 hours and 20 minutes while flying the Boeing 787 Dreamliner from New York to London on Sunday. The flight had a maximum tailwind of 224mph and reached a top speed of 779mph.

Captain Pascal Niewold at Norwegian said: “The passengers and crew were very pleasantly surprised that we were already landing in London. It was a very smooth flight with almost no turbulence and as a result of the jet stream we arrived 25 minutes early.”

See Norwegian.com