WOW air acquired by rival airline

ajc.com

After halting services at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, WOW air announced it has been acquired by one of its rivals in Iceland.

Icelandair Group has entered into a share purchase agreement to purchase all shares in the airline WOW air. The companies will continue to operate under separate brands. Their combined market share on the transatlantic market is around 3.8 percent.

» TRENDING: WOW air offers cheap flights, but what else will you pay?

The acquisition creates opportunity for both companies to become even better prepared to provide international carriers with strong competition in the international airline market, the group announced.

"WOW air has in recent years built a strong brand and enjoyed great success in the company's markets to and from Iceland and across the Atlantic. There are many opportunities for synergies with the two companies but they will continue to operate under their own brands and operating approvals," said Bogi Nils BogasonInterim President & CEO, Icelandair Group.

The acquisition comes after WOW air pulled out of several markets, including Cincinnati, St. Louis and Cleveland. The carrier launched at CVG in May, flying more than 40,000 travelers to places across the world like Iceland and France.

The routes did not “achieve the profit targets set,” according to an airport spokeswoman.

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