Caroline Cook, deputy editor of our sister publication, Routes News, reports from the World Travel Market in London.

Icelandic LCC, WOW air, will add transatlantic flights to its schedule with the launch of a new service to Boston in spring 2014.

The airline, which has also been awarded the air operator’s certificate from the Icelandic Transport Authority, will operate Gatwick to Boston via Reykjavik six times a week.

Despite launching only in May 2012, WOW air handled 90,000 passengers in its first year and is on track to carry 450,000 this year, founder and CEO, Skúli Mogensen told Routes News.

“Based on our increase in aircraft in 2014, we expect to handle 700,000 passengers next year,” he said.

Discussing the carrier’s break into North America, Mogensen continued: “We’re looking at a number of new destinations and hopefully we’ll be introducing them next year, in the reasonable near-term.”

Another new destination for the carrier is Stockholm, which will receive three flights a week from next June.

“We are also increasing our frequency to Alicante, Barcelona, Stuttgart and Dusseldorf. Overall, I would say we are strengthening our base on most fronts.

“We are still fairly fresh out of the water,” he continued, “so to add North America is a huge and very important step.”

He said that future expansion was likely to be out of that region, while the carrier still aims to grow Iceland as a transfer hub to European destination.

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