WOW air takes off from Edinburgh Airport
Edinburgh Airport welcomed the first WOW air flight from Iceland yesterday.
Travellers arriving from the Nordic nation, as well as North America were greeted at the arrival gate by a bagpipe player, providing an authentic Scottish musical welcome.
Flights will depart Edinburgh Airport for the airline’s hub in Reykjavik twice-weekly between July and October on Sundays and Wednesdays, with a total flight time of two hours thirty minutes. Passengers travelling through will then have a short stopover before continuing on to one of the airline’s North American destinations - Boston, Washington D.C., Montreal, Toronto, Los Angeles, or San Francisco.
Skúli Mogensen, founder and CEO of WOW air, said: “It’s an extremely proud moment to see the first WOW air plane set off from the runaway at Edinburgh Airport. As our third departure point in the UK, the commencement of this route signifies our continued growth in Britain and our aim to improve accessibility between the two isles. We look forward to welcoming Scottish holidaymakers on board over the course of the summer, en route to memorable adventures in Iceland, the US and Canada.”
Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport, said: “Iceland is an increasingly popular destination for Scottish holidaymakers and this new route also increases choice of flying between Scotland and the United States.
WOW air are a very welcome new airline to Edinburgh Airport; they have rightly recognised the increasing demand for connectivity to and from Scotland. This news further bolsters Edinburgh Airport’s position as the leader for business and tourism connectivity between Scotland and international destinations.”
Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive at VisitScotland, said: “Scottish tourism punches above its weight on the world stage and this new service from WOW air, offering flights from Reykjavik to Edinburgh and connecting from five key destinations in North America, will further strengthen our connectivity in this hugely important market.
"The USA is our biggest global market and a diaspora stronghold, so we are delighted to welcome the launch of this low-cost service, which will allow even more Americans to enjoy a holiday in Scotland.”
Humza Yousaf, Minister for Transport and the Islands said: “I’m delighted to see this new service get off the ground and congratulate everyone involved. This link will bring real benefits to Scottish businesses - as well as being the gateway to Iceland, Keflavik is also an important hub airport offering onward travel to important international markets in the United States of America and Canada. It will no doubt prove very popular with tourists too. I wish Edinburgh Airport and Wow air every success with this new route.”
The Edinburgh to Reykjavik flight will be operated by an A320 aircraft, with single-class A321 and A330 aircraft operating the connecting routes between Iceland and North America.