The airline was founded in November 2011 and as of December 2016 the WOW air fleet consists of the 12 aircrafts. In 2015, WOW air started expanding into North America, serving first the US, then Canada starting in May 2016. Flights to Los Angeles and San Francisco began in June 2016 using two Airbus A330-300 planes leased from Air Europa. WOW air’s annual passenger capacity more than double in 2016 to over 1.6 million, from approximately 740,000 in 2015. WOW air also runs the travel agency WOW travel, which specialises in low-cost holidays both to and from Iceland.

WOW Air Airbus A320-232