Icelandair has been expanding not only its partnerships and interlines but also its overall destinations, with new cities being added on both sides of the Atlantic this summer. Aircraft upgrades have also been implemented, with places like Nuuk in Greenland now seeing service on a Boeing 737 MAX instead of a Dash-8 200.
But outside of the international destinations served from Reykjavík/Keflavík International Airport, not many people outside of Iceland are aware that the airline operates a smaller hub out of Reykjavík Domestic Airport, located 45 minutes away from the larger airport and in the heart of the capital, for its flights within Iceland.
Currently, the airline offers flights to three destinations from Reykjavík Domestic: Ísafjörður, Akureyri, and Egilsstaðir. The flights are operated with a turboprop fleet, which consists of the 37-seat Dash-8 200 and the slightly larger 76-seat Q400.
Icelandair now plans to drop one domestic route, add another, and fly to one destination for a very short period of time, just a single weekend.
Vestmannaeyjar
The first add is only temporary, and very much so, with flights only operating for five days from July 31 to Aug. 4. The addition of flights to Vestmannaeyjar, located on the island of Heimaey, is meant to accommodate the events of Þjóðhátíð, which translates to “national holiday” in English. Þjóðhátíð is an “epic music and cultural festival” that takes place during the first weekend in August. Icelandair has operated these special flights for several years.
The population of the island of Heimaey increases from 4,000 to 20,000 for this event. Flight schedules and frequencies between Reykjavík (RKV) and Vestmannaeyjar (VEY) are listed below.
July 31:
RKV to VEY, 1x
VEY to RKV, 1x
August 1:
RKV to VEY, 5x
VEY to RKV, 1x
August 2:
RKV to VEY, 1x
VEY to RKV, 2x
August 3:
RKV to VEY, 2x
VEY to RKV, 2x
August 4:
RKV to VEY, 2x
VEY to RKV, 9x
All of the flights will use the Q400, with the exception of three of the return flights from Vestmannaeyjar back to Iceland that use the smaller Dash-8 200.
- Icelandair Dash 8 at Akureyri International Airport, Iceland. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | John Flett)
Höfn
Höfn, located on Iceland’s southeastern coastline, will be a totally new destination for the airline. According to Icelandair, it recently won a contract from the Icelandic government for subsidized air service to the city. Currently, Höfn sees service with Norlandair with its TwinOtter most days of the week.
Icelandair will begin flying to Höfn from Reykjavík Domestic on Sept. 1, with flights operating five times a week on the Dash-8 200. While this is fewer weekly flights than Norlandair currently operates to Höfn, the aircraft Icelandair will operate are larger and will make up for it in extra seating capacity. In addition, with Icelandair most likely ending Dash-8 200 service sometime in 2026, the flight will upgrade again to the Q400.
Norlandair will end service to Höfn on Aug. 31, the day before Icelandair begins its flights there.
Ísafjörður
Icelandair will discontinue this service, mainly because of the upcoming retirement of the Dash-8 200, the smallest aircraft in its fleet.
One of the reasons Icelandair kept the Dash-8 200 is because of the short runways at airports in Greenland, where the carrier frequently flies. But more airports in Greenland are opening longer runways, including Nuuk, where Icelandair flies its Boeing 737 MAX during the peak tourist season and the Q400 during the off season.
- An Icelandair Dash-8~200. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
“The decision was made due to changes to Greenlandic airports,” Icelandair CEO Bogi Nils Bogason said in an interview with RÚV. “[They] are expanding their airports’ airstrips, meaning that larger and more efficient planes can be flown there. With these changes, the Q200 model will not be as competitive.”
There is only one airport left in Greenland that Icelandair flies to that still can’t accept anything larger than a Dash-8 200 — Ilulissat. But that airport is also under construction, and a longer runway is expected to open there in 2026. Once that longer runway opens in Ilulissat and the Q400s are able to land there, there is no more use for the Dash-8 200 in the Icelandair fleet, and service to Ísafjörður will end.
It will be a devastating blow to the community, as there is currently no bus service to Ísafjörður, which will leave residents without public transportation or commercial flights. At least for now, though, the route is safe and AvGeeks wanting to fly the Icelandair Dash-8 200 to Ísafjörður still have time to try out the flight and its unique and difficult approach to the airport.
All schedules and aircraft are subject to change.
