What Now for WOW?

With the demise of yet another transatlantic operator, Airliner World’s Gordon Smith reflects on how it all went wrong for the plucky Icelandic carrier and asks what’s next for this corner of the market.

WOW air’s brightly coloured aircraft guaranteed instant brand recognition.
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/ PHILIPPE NORET

I’m not usually a fan of commentary that kicks off with an extract from the dictionary, so consider this a rare exception. “Wow: to express astonishment or admiration, first recorded in Scots in the early 16th century…” reads my Concise Oxford edition. While this particular Scotsman has the upmost respect for the vision, ambition and determination shown by WOW air’s leadership team, unfortunately I can’t say I’m all that ‘astonished’ by recent events. Before we look at what the future holds, here’s a quick reminder of how Wow developed.

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