A new crowdfunding site, hluthafi.com, went online last week, claiming to want to involve the Icelandic public in a national fundraising effort to help resurrect WOW air or help finance another low cost airline in Iceland, RÚV reports. Skúli Mogensen, former CEO of the now defunct WOW air, says he is in no way connected to the effort but is following closely.
The site claims to be run by a group of former WOW air customers, who recognise the importance of a strong low cost airline in Iceland. The group says in a statement that tourism “has stimulated economic growth and increased quality of life in recent years and we want to make sure that quality remains.” The site urges the public and business to pledge small amounts of money that would help to finance a new airline, should one be started within the next 90 days.
The site was originally anonymous but has now been revealed to be upheld by a carpenter named Friðrik Atli Guðmundsson. Friðrik said in a recent interview with Vísir.is that he and the group behind the effort originally wished to remain anonymous, and hopes that “the public and the media respect our privacy.”
“We plan to secure a spokesperson, but otherwise intend to keep people informed through the website,” Friðrik says.
