Press release -
WOW factor comes to Edinburgh
Edinburgh Airport has welcomed the first WOW air flight from Iceland. 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.
The flights make travel to Scotland from Iceland and beyond more affordable.
Flights go to Edinburgh Airport from the airline’s hub in Reykjavik twice-weekly between July and October on Sundays and Wednesdays, with a total flight time of two hours 30 minutes. Passengers from the airline’s North American destinations - Boston, Washington DC, Montreal, Toronto, Los Angeles and San Francisco - can also fly to Edinburgh via Iceland.
Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of 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.”
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.”
Humza Yousaf, Minister for Transport and the Islands, said: “I’m delighted to see this new service get off the ground today 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.
For more information on flights to Iceland and North America please visit www.wowair.co.uk.
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- international marketing
- corporate communications
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors
About WOW air
WOW air is the only ultra-low-cost transatlantic airline offering the cheap fares, a modern fleet with the lowest emissions and the biggest smile; this is the WOW air promise to its valuable customers.
WOW air flies daily from London Gatwick to Reykjavik with twice-daily flights currently on Sunday, Monday and Thursday.
As of summer 2016, the airline will serve 29 destinations across Europe and North America including London, Edinburgh, Bristol, Washington DC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Montreal, Toronto and Boston.
Created in November 2011 by Icelandic entrepreneur Skúli Mogensen, the purple airline flies with Airbus A320 aircrafts and Airbus A321/A330 models.
WOW air was ranked as the 7th best low-cost airline in Europe at the 2013, 2014 and 2015 Skytrax World Airline Awards and was the youngest airline in the top ten.
For more information: www.wowair.co.uk
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