The Icelandic LCC WOW, which collapsed in March this year looks set to return to flight operations as early as next month. The transatlantic airline has been taken over by a US aviation company.
The airline is to be rebuilt by US Aerospace Associates, a US holding company which specialises in the aviation sector. The company, together with local investors, have reportedly acquired WOW air’s assets and plan to relaunch the budget carrier under the WOW air brand in October.
The first revived route, will be between Washington DC and Reyjavik, with just two aircraft, but their are plans to increase this to four in the summer of 2020 and possibly 12 in the long-term. Future destinations are also being looked at, but have not been announced although are presumed to follow similar routes as before.
The news was revealed by Michelle Ballarin, chair of US Aerospace Associates at a press conference in Reykjavik on 6 September, as reported by local newspaper Visir. According to Ballarin, who will be the chair of the resurrected airline, US$85 million investment has been secured to relaunch the budget carrier.
The revamped WOW will operate under a US air operator’s certificate and will be based in Washington Dulles International Airport with Reykjavik as its main operations centre in Europe.
Besides commercial passenger flights, cargo flights are also planned for the ‘new’ WOW air, including seafood from Iceland to the US.
