WOW Air halts operations, strands passengers

Hundreds of passengers have been left stranded after Icelandic low-cost carrier WOW Air abruptly announced that it has ceased operation and cancelled all flights.

The announcement was made early this morning in a brief statement on the airline’s website advising passengers of the cancellation, offering few details into WOW’s collapse.

In its brief statement, WOW directed travellers to consult with other airlines to obtain airfare home and to their travel agents and credit card companies to seek a refund.

Prior to the collapse, the airline was set to launch a new flight from Vancouver to Reykjavik this June, which would have operated six times per week.

READ MORE: Icelandair is buying WOW air

Trouble was looming

Just hours before announcing the end of operations, WOW had posted a statement advising passengers that flights had been postponed as the airline was “in the final stages of finalizing equity raise with a group of investors.” Saddled with debt, the airline had been seeking a buyer for several months; among those prospective purchasers was Icelandair, with which an agreement to purchase WOW fell through last November.

Earlier this week, the carrier grounded six planes that were set to leave yesterday (March 27) from several North American cities, including Toronto and Montreal, while seven of its Reykjavik-bound planes were left sitting on the tarmac of several European airports, including Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt.

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