Tag Archives: Iceland

Condor flies to Iceland for the first time

Condor has made this announcement:

Welcome to the land of fire and ice: Germany’s most popular leisure airline is bringing travellers to Iceland for the first time. From May 2023, Condor will be offering one overnight flight per week from Frankfurt to Akureyri in the north and to Egilsstaðir in the east of Iceland. This will be the first time the island state is on Condor’s flight schedule and with that, the airline will add two attractive destinations in the north to its portfolio.

So far, Akureyri and Egilsstaðir are accessible via domestic flights and by car and bus. The two towns are located on the ring road that runs once around the island, making them popular starting points for round trips. Akureyri is the fourth largest city in Iceland and is located on the shore of a fjord that extends far into the country.

Popular destinations are the waterfalls Aldeyjarfoss and Goðafoss, Lake Mývatn with its numerous lava formations and the village of Húsavík for whale watching. Egilsstaðir, as the largest town in the area, opens the east of Iceland. From there the spectacular Stuðlagil canyon and Hafrahvammagljúfur canyon in the Eastern Highlands can be explored, as well as one of Iceland’s tallest waterfalls, Hengifoss. The magnificent Eastfjords, that stretch all the way south to the picturesque Eystrahorn offer a scenic coastline with numerous small villages and narrow fjords, perfect for exploring authentic Icelandic everyday life. The region has beautiful nature and wildlife, Hallormsstaðaskógur is the country’s largest forest, and the area is home to wild reindeer and puffins that come to nest by the coast every summer.

Condor aircraft photo gallery:

Three New Flights, Two New Airlines, One New Cool Destination for DFW Airport Customers

Iceland has become a new destination from DFW. Instead of one airline, the new destination will be served by three airlines this summer:

DFW made this announcement:

Customers at Dallas-Fort Worth International (DFW) Airport have three new, nonstop flights to Icelandjust in time for the peak summer travel season. Two Icelandic-based airlines, Wow air and Icelandair, will begin flying from DFW to Reykjavík–Keflavík (KEF) International Airport in late May, and American Airlines will launch its KEF flight in early June.

Iceland is an increasingly popular tourist destination and has become a convenient stopover for travelers connecting to Europe. Between the two Icelandic carriers, DFW customers will have access to 39 destinations in Europe and the Middle East. American Airlines connects travelers to Iceland through its largest hub.

New Iceland services schedule

Wow air
Begins May 24, 2018
Departs DFW at 4:10 p.m. (CDT)
Arrives KEF at 4:45 a.m. (GMT)
Aircraft: Airbus A330
Seats: 350
Service: Seasonal (summer); three times per week
Operates from DFW Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays
Icelandair
Begins May 31, 2018
Departs DFW at 4:20 p.m. (CDT)
Arrives KEF at 5:10 a.m. (GMT)
Aircraft: Boeing 757-200
Seats: 183
Service: Year-round; four times per week
Operates from DFW on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays
American Airlines
Begins June 7, 2018
Departs DFW at 8:20 p.m. (CDT)
Arrives KEF at 9:15 a.m. (GMT)
Aircraft: Boeing 757-200
Seats: 176
Service: Seasonal (summer); daily
Operates from DFW seven days per week

AirBaltic to fly to Iceland, expands operations at Vilnius and Tallinn

AirBaltic (airBaltic.com) (Riga) will launch a new route between Riga and Keflavik serving Reykjavik, Iceland on May 28, 2016. AirBaltic will fly from Riga to Keflavik (Reykjavik) twice weekly. Passengers will board a Boeing 737-300 for a flight that will last 4 hours and 5 minutes.

AirBaltic is expanding operations at both Tallinn (Estonia) and Vilnius (Lithuania) following the failure of Estonian Air (Tallinn). airBaltic expects by 2021 to be operating 11 nonstop routes from both cities.

AirBaltic will also increase the Vilnius – Tallinn and Tallinn – Vilnius routes to 10 flights a week (Monday through Friday) with Bombardier Q400 NextGen aircraft for a flight that will last 1 hours and 20 minutes.

In other news, AirBaltic will sign a new agreement with investor Ralf Dieter Montag-Girmes of Germany for a 20 percent share in the airline.

Additionally the carrier is expected to finalize its order for 17 Bombardier CS300s it has on tentative order.

AirBaltic aircraft slide show:

Delta to connect Minneapolis/St. Paul with Keflavik, Iceland

Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) will launch seasonal service to Iceland’s Keflavik International Airport from its Twin Cities hub beginning May 26, 2016.

Keflavik (near Reykjavik) will be Delta’s fifth destination in Europe from Minneapolis-St. Paul. Delta recently announced service from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Rome and also operates flights to Amsterdam, London, Paris and Tokyo-Narita. Iceland service will be operated in conjunction with Delta’s joint venture partners Air France, KLM and Alitalia using a 199-seat Boeing 757-300 aircraft. The aircraft offers 20 seats in the premium cabin as well as 29 in Delta Comfort+ and 150 in Main Cabin.

Air Iceland to become a new Bombardier Q400 operator

Air Iceland (Reykjavik) has purchased three Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) aircraft. The total investment will increase the total assets of Icelandair Group by $25 million USD when the estimated sales price of the Air Iceland’s five Fokker 50 aircraft has been taken into account. The aircraft year of manufacture is 2000 and 2001 and they will be delivered to Air Iceland in July and August this year. On delivery the aircraft will go through an implementation process for Air Iceland’s route network but the first aircraft is expected to be used in the route network in December 2015. The investment will be financed with cash from Icelandair Group.

Air Iceland operates from Reykjavík Airport in the heart of the country’s capital, with destinations around Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland.

The airline was formed in 1997, when Icelandair Domestic merged with Flugfélag Nordurlands; the airline traces its roots back to 1937.

Air Iceland offers flights to four destinations within Iceland. With its flights from Reykjavík to Akureyri, Egilsstadir and Ísafjördur it covers all the major towns in Iceland, as well as a number of the smaller settlements through a general sales agent agreement with Norlandair, a Twin Otter operator in Akureyri. Air Iceland offers flights to four destinations in Greenland, with year-round routes to Kulusuk and Nuuk, the capital of Greenland.

Photo Above: Air Iceland. Air Iceland operates in very rugged terrain.

In the summer, Air Iceland offer flights to Narsarsuaq, Ilulissat and, in cooperation with Norlandair, to Nerlerit Inaat. In cooperation with Atlantic Airways Air Iceland offers flights between Iceland and the Faroe Islands all year round. The fleet of aircraft consists of five Fokker 50 and two Bombardier DHC-8-200 Dash 8 aircraft.

Top Photo: Air Iceland. Air Iceland already operates the Bombardier DHC-8-200. A busy ramp at Ilulissat, Greenland.

Photo Below: Air Iceland. A DHC-8-200 landing in Isafjordur.

Route Map:

Air Iceland aircraft slide show:

Videos:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npGToNpHmOM&w=560&h=315%5D

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv_c6vA8DXE&w=560&h=315%5D

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW34jPhnwzw&w=560&h=315%5D

Wizz Air to fly to Iceland from Poland

Wizz Air (Budapest) has announced further growth of its route network from Poland. From July 3, 2015 Wizz Air will start operating a new service from Gdansk to Keflavik (near Reykjavik) in Iceland, with two weekly flights.

Wizz Air now offers a total of 116 Polish routes to 22 countries from seven Polish airports.

In other news, Wizz Air has announced twice-weekly service from Budapest to Tenerife, starting on October 30 with departures on Mondays on Fridays.

Wizz Air now flies from Budapest Airport with 41 routes to 21 countries.

Finally, Wizz Air announced a new Debrecen route to Bergamo (near Milan) which will start operating with two weekly flights on October 25.

Copyright Photo: Antony J. Best/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A320-232 HA-LYA (msn 6077) with Sharklets lands in London (Luton).

Wizz Air aircraft slide show:

Icelandair to operate two Boeing 767-300s, Air Iceland to become a new Bombardier Q400 operator

Icelandair Group (Icelandair and Air Iceland) (Reykjavik) has announced Icelandair will operate two Boeing 767-300s. The Group has also announced plans to replace Air Iceland’s aging Fokker 50 fleet with newer Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) aircraft. The Group issued this statement:

The Board of Directors of Icelandair Group has decided to update the fleet policies of the subsidiaries Icelandair and Air Iceland.

All five Fokker 50 aircraft that Air Iceland operates will be sold and three Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 will replace it. After that Air Iceland will operate five aircraft, three Bombardier Q400 and two Q200. The Q400 aircraft can seat 74 passengers while the Fokker 50 takes 50 passengers.

The airline’s operations will be simplified and optimised as number of aircraft decrease and synergies will increase as all aircraft will be from the same manufacturer. As the Q400 is faster and has a longer range,

Air Iceland Route Map: Air Iceland flies domestically in Iceland and adjacently to Greenland.

Air Iceland sees opportunities in new markets. The company will be better equipped to service the domestic market as the aircraft are larger and travel time will be shorter. The airline aims to increase the number of foreign tourists on board its aircraft going forward.

In 2015 Icelandair will operate 23 Boeing 757-200 that take 183 passengers and one 757-300 that takes 220 passengers. The company owns 22 of those aircraft and leases two that will be redelivered this autumn.

Above Copyright Photo: Boeing 757-208 TF-FIN (msn 28989) taxies at London (Heathrow). LHR is a likely place where the larger Boeing 767-300 would be utilized along with New York (JFK).

It has been decided that they will be replaced with two Boeing 767-300 aircraft that take 260 passengers that will be added to the route network as of the spring of 2016. Larger aircraft are more feasible due to high load factors on many routes all year round and limited number of landing slots on certain airports. The increase of the fleet in the last few years has made it more economical to have more than one size of aircraft in the fleet. The Boeing 767 aircraft is similar to the 757 in terms of maintenance and crew training and the airline has experience in operating that type.

Above Copyright Photo: Daniel White – Bruce Drum Collection. Icelandair is very familiar with the Boeing 767-300 as subsidiary Loftleidir Icelandic has been a past operator of the type. Boeing 767-3Y0 ER TF-FIA (msn 24953) taxies at Sanford (SFB).

Icelandair Group’s subsidiary, Loftleidir Icelandic, has operated 767 aircraft in leasing projects that have been maintained by Icelandair. The aircraft has longer range than the 757 which will create new opportunities for the route network.

It has not been decided whether the new aircraft will be purchased or leased.

Bjorgolfur Johannsson, President and CEO of Icelandair Group: “Operating one type of aircraft has been very economical for Icelandair but when the route network and the fleet reaches a certain size it becomes more feasible to have a broader range of aircraft in the fleet. High load factors all year round and limited number of landing slots on certain airports also support this decision. In terms of Air Iceland a simpler and more economical fleet will make the operations better as crew training will be simpler.

We foresee further growth opportunities in the coming years with these changes to the fleet policy for passenger aircraft. Both the Boeing 767 and Q400 aircraft can service markets that the current fleet cannot, which will enable us to go into new markets and connect them to the current route network.”

Top Copyright Photo: Wingnut/AirlinersGallery.com. The five Fokker F.27 Mk. 050s (Fokker 50s) will be sold. Flugfelag Islands-Air Iceland Fokker F.27 Mk. 050 TF-JMO (msn 20205) lands at the Reykjavik (RKV) base.

Air Iceland aircraft slide show:

Icelandair aircraft slide show:

Air Iceland video:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuUrnkBZOMU&w=560&h=315%5D

Delta to resume New York (JFK) – Keflavik, Iceland flights this summer

Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) will once again be offering nonstop daily flights between Keflavik International Airport (near Reykjavik) and New York John F. Kennedy International Airport for the 2015 summer season.

Starting May 2, the U.S. airline has scheduled a Boeing 757-200 aircraft on the route, which is operated in conjunction with Delta’s joint venture partners Air France and KLM.

Delta Air Lines aircraft slide show (current livery only):

Wow Air will now start flights from Baltimore-Washington (BWI) on May 8

Wow Air (Keflavik) has moved forward its start of service from Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) to Keflavik (KEF) (near Reykjavik) from June 4 to May 8. Initially the new route will operate four days a week with Airbus A320s. On June 11 this will expand to five days a week. The carrier will also operate to Boston starting on March 27.

Copyright Photo: Robbie Shaw/AirlinersGallery.com. Wow Air (operated by Air VIA) Airbus A320-232 LZ-MDD (msn 4305) approaches the runway at London’s Gatwick Airport.

Wow Air aircraft slide show:

Route Map for the 2015 summer season:

Lufthansa to fly to Aalborg and Keflavik

Lufthansa (Frankfurt) will expand its European services in next year’s summer flight timetable. From March 29, 2015, the airline will be operating a new route from Frankfurt Airport to Aalborg in Jutland, Denmark, with 14 flights a week.

The commercial and university city will be Lufthansa’s third destination in Denmark, after Copenhagen and Billund.

The airline will also be launching a twice-weekly nonstop service between Frankfurt and Keflavik (near Reykjavík), Iceland, from May 2, until September 26, 2015. The Aalborg route will have two flights a day with a Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft, with 90 seats in Business and Economy Class. The service will depart from the Lufthansa hub every morning at 8.25 a.m. as flight LH 844 and every afternoon at 4.10 p.m. as flight LH 846, arriving in Aalborg at 10.05 a.m. and 5.50 p.m. respectively. The return flights will land in Frankfurt at 12.25 p.m. and 8.10 p.m. respectively.

The service to Keflavik (Reykjavík) will operate on Thursdays and Saturdays with an Airbus A319, with 138 seats in Business and Economy Class. Flight LH 856 will take off from Frankfurt in the morning and land in Reykjavík around midday. Flight LH 857 will arrive back at Frankfurt Airport in the early evening.

Lufthansa:

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