REYKJAVIK: Icelandic budget airline
WOW Air ceased operations on Thursday, stranding passengers across two continents. In a statement on its website the airline, which had earlier suspended all its flights, told passengers there would be no further flights and advised them to check flights with other airlines for ways to reach their destinations.
The airline, founded by entrepreneur Skuli Mogensen, began operations in 2012 and specialised in ultra-cheap flights between North America and Europe.
Its bankruptcy comes after six months of turbulent negotiations to sell the
low-cost carrier, first to its main rival and flagship carrier
Icelandair and later to Indigo Partners, an American company operating the airline Wizz.
“I will never forgive myself for not acting sooner,” Mogensen said in a letter to employees on Thursday. “WOW was clearly an incredible airline and we were on the path to do amazing things again.”
Tourism is Iceland’s largest industry and WOW’s disappearance is set to have an effect on this summer’s high season.