Is MOM Air, a new and familiar-looking budget airline, for real?

A brand new budget airline based in Iceland looks to be filling the shoes of WOW Air, which went bankrupt in 2019 and stranded thousands of travelers abroad with little warning. The branding of the new low-cost airline, called MOM Air, uses the inverted logo of WOW Air and claims that it could be in the skies as soon as March.

On the surface, MOM Air’s offering sounds similar to WOW Air, running budget flights between Europe and the United States via Keflavik Airport outside the Icelandic capital of Reykjavík, though MOM Air has said there’s no connection between the two. In exchange for the low cost, all services onboard are optional and cost extra, including expected options like luggage space and seat selection, but MOM Air has gone a step further and said that it will charge for toilet paper, hand soap and powering up electronic devices.

MOM Air also has some unusual marketing tricks up its sleeve, including running flights for COVID-positive passengers and making the first two seats on each flight free of charge. The airline’s stated mission is to improve gender equality in the aviation industry. “Mamma emphasizes equality with a special emphasis on equalizing the role of the sexes in managerial and influential positions,” its website explains. “Mom plans to take part in projects that introduce girls to role models and open their eyes to future possibilities, including as flight attendants and executives.”

Is MOM Air an actual airline, or is this some kind of bizarre, elaborate stunt? The Reykjavik Grapevine says it’s a piece of performance art and that the website was recently registered by an Icelandic artist. Perhaps the truth will come out at a press conference that’s been scheduled for November 18.