WOW air, Iceland's only low-cost airline, has purchased two new Airbus A321 aircraft on a finance lease for use on its transatlantic routes launching this spring to Boston and Washington DC. The largest of Airbus' benchmark A320 family of aircraft, the A321 offers airlines the best seat-mile costs of any single-aisle aircraft, with an extra-long cabin that provides for seating capacities comparable to those in a wide body jet.

“We're very proud to be adding these new A321 aircraft to our growing fleet of aircraft”, says WOW air Founder and CEO Skúli Mogensen. “Their low fuel consumption and state of the art Cabin in a 200 seat configuration will offer our passengers a very comfortable journey at unbeatable prices.  We are now ready to continue our rapid growth as the first true low cost carrier offering flights across the Atlantic via Iceland.

The aircraft will be delivered to WOW air in company livery in mid-March with a single-class 200-seat configuration. They will enter into service on the airline's new routes between Reykjavik and the United States, with flights to Boston beginning on 27 March and to Washington DC on 8 May.

The new A321 aircraft, powered by CFM56 engines, feature Sharklet wing-tip devices that improve aerodynamics and reduce fuel consumption to just 2.2 litres per person per 100km, dramatically reducing overall emissions. Based on average usage, each plane will produce up to 12,000 tonnes less of CO2 than a Boeing 757 per annum.

“The A321 is a very popular aircraft that will fit seamlessly into WOW air's all-Airbus fleet. The aircraft will allow WOW air to grow on important routes across the Atlantic and pick-up market share using the most modern, efficient and productive single aisle airliner in the world'', said John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer Customers at Airbus.

Linking the new North American services with WOW air's routes to many of Europes most popular destinations such as London, Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Dublin WOW air aims to offer substantially lower fares on all its destinations then previously seen in the market.  The new Airbus 321 range will enable WOW air to continue to grow and expand its netwrok on both sides of the Atlantic in the coming years. 

For more information, visit www.wowair.co.uk.   

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For further press information please contact:
Nick Wheywell / Stuart Fyfe / Kevan Barber
Rooster PR
T:       +44 (0) 20 3440 8930
E:       teamwow@rooster.co.uk
www.rooster.co.uk

About WOW air
WOW air is Iceland's only low-cost airline and the most punctual, with 92% of flights arriving on time in 2014.

WOW air offers the lowest 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.

The airline flies to London, Paris, Berlin and Copenhagen from Reykjavik all year-round and offers additional winter and summer destinations. In 2015, flights will commence from Reykjavik to Boston and Washington DC.

Founded in November 2011 by Icelandic entrepreneur Skúli Mogensen, the purple airline flies four Airbus A320 and one A319 aircraft.

WOW air was ranked as the 7th best low-cost airline in Europe at the 2013 and 2014 Skytrax World Airline Awards and was the youngest airline in the top ten.

For more information: www.wowair.co.uk