History
The airline was established in 2002 and began operations on February 27, 2003 with daily flights to London Stansted and Copenhagen using Boeing 737-300 aircraft wet leased from Astraeus. This contract was taken over by JetX Airlines and then by Hello.
In the Autumn of 2008, Astraeus resumed operating all flights on behalf of Iceland Express with two Boeing 737-700 aircraft. The airline was owned by Icelandic investment group, Northern Travel Holding. Northern Travel Holding was acquired in full by Fons in September 2008. It silently changed hands before the bankruptcy of Fons to sister company Fengur. Fons was established by the two main owners of Fengur.
Fengur acquired 100% of Astraeus. This helped the Icelandic group support their Iceland Express subsidiary to begin low-fare transatlantic services. The two airlines continue to operate as separate entities. It was previously understood that Astraeus could have supplied Iceland Express with Boeing 757-200 aircraft to start flights from Iceland to New York and Boston in spring 2007, yet trans-Atlantic service did not commence until summer 2010.
The company started trans-Atlantic flights to Newark Liberty International Airport, four times a week and Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, two times a week, in June 2010 with a mix of 737s and two Boeing 757s operated by Astraeus. In late summer 2010, the airline published the winter schedule with the Newark flights year-round, as well as seasonal destinations like Orlando.
The airline announced that it will begin flights to Chicago, Boston, Miami, Belfast and Orlando in June 2011, although the Belfast and Miami routes ended up not happening. As of 2012 though, the airline did not offer flights to or from the United States.
On 21 November 2011, Astraeus, the sole operator of all Iceland Express flights, suddenly ceased operations with immediate effect. As a result, Iceland Express began leasing two Airbus A320s from CSA Holidays, a Czech Airlines subsidiary.
On 24 October 2012, WOW air acquired Iceland Express' operations and network.
Read more about this topic: Iceland Express
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