Low-cost airline Norwegian has set a new record time for the fastest ever transatlantic flight by a subsonic passenger aircraft this week using the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

Norwegian flight DY7014 from New York JFK to London Gatwick on Monday 15 January completed the full duration of the flight in 5 hours and 13 minutes – the fastest transatlantic flight recorded on a subsonic commercial aircraft. The previous record was 5 hours and 16 minutes.

The flight carrying 284 passengers departed New York at 11:44am and arrived at London at 9:57pm – 53 minutes early.

Europe’s third largest low-cost airline, operates double daily flights between London and New York using the state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The flight benefitted from strong tailwinds over the Atlantic Ocean that reached a maximum of 176 knots (202mph). The tailwinds pushed the aircraft to a top speed of 776mph during the flight.

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft (G-CKHL) 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.

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, London 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 14 January. The flight had a maximum tailwind of 195 knots (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.”

In 2018, Norwegian will take delivery of 11 brand new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, 10 of which will feature Norwegian’s new expanded Premium cabin with 56 seats – 21 seats more than the airline’s current Premium cabin.