Norwegian says sorry for 21-hour delay at Gatwick

A New York-bound flight was due to leave at 07.45 on Monday morning, but eventually departed nearly 24 hours later at 04.45 on Tuesday when another Norwegian aircraft became available.

Passengers were given food vouchers, but images on Mailonline show many bedding down at the airport.

“We considered making hotel arrangements for passengers but as the new departure time drew closer, we recommended passengers remain at the airport to ensure they could easily make the flight,” said a Norwegian spokesperson.

He added: “Passengers were given meal vouchers and received regular SMS text message updates about their flight with options which included the choice to rebook or refund their ticket free of charge.”