Scope of operations

Air Iceland Connect flies from Reykjavík to several locations in Greenland, and Atlantic Airways flew to the Faroe Islands for most of the year from Reykjavík Airport until they transferred to Keflavík Airport. In addition, the Icelandic Flight Academy (Flugskóli Íslands) and Flugfélagið Geirfugl have facilities at Reykjavík Airport. BIRK Flight Services, Reykjavík FBO and Air Iceland Connect are responsible for ground handling services at airports. 

At Akureyri Airport, Norlandair has regular scheduled flights within Iceland and scheduled and chartered flights to Greenland. In addition, travel agencies in the area offer direct flights from Akureyri to a few destinations overseas. Circle Air offers chartered and sight-seeing flights from Akureyri. Air Iceland Connect has being flying between Akureyri and Keflavík Airport in connection with the Icelandair’s main destinations in Europe and North America since 2017. In February 2018, the company announced that it intended to drop this route as of summer 2018. These plans, however, changed and the airline restarted the service in October 2018. In addition, the Akureyri Aviation Academy (Flugskóli Akureyrar) is based at the airport. Air Iceland Connect and South Air are responsible for ground handling services at Akureyri Airport. Akureyri Airport is the centre for Iceland’s ambulance flights, as the Mýflug airline has an agreement thereto with the Ministry of Health.

At Egilsstaðir, Air Iceland Connect deals with ground handling services for private and leased aircraft. Travel agencies have offered direct charter flights from Egilsstaðir to several overseas destinations.

Reykjavík Airport has two runways (1,567 and 1,230 m long), Akureyri Airport has one (2,400 m) and Egilsstaðir Airport has one (2,000 m). Other airports and landing sites have runways ranging from 634 m to 1,887 m in length.

The largest customers of Isavia’s flight navigation services are Icelandair, WOW air, United Airlines, SAS, Lufthansa, British Airways, Air Canada, Delta, Emirates, Norwegian, Air Greenland, Qatar Airways and KLM. These airlines fly the greatest number of kilometres within the Icelandic flight traffic control area. Icelandic airlines are the biggest users of flight navigation services at Keflavík Airport.

During the summer of 2018, 30 airlines flew from Keflavík Airport to more than 100 destinations. Eleven airlines flew to and from Iceland all year round: Icelandair, WOW air, easyJet, Wizz Air, British Airways, Norwegian, SAS, Air Iceland Connect, Delta, Lufthansa and Finnair. Two airfreight airlines, Icelandair Cargo and Bluebird, fly from Keflavík Airport throughout the year.

Three handling agents operate at Keflavík Airport: IGS, Airport Associates and South Air.

Numerous passengers take advantage of Keflavík Airport as a transit airport, and both WOW air and Icelandair use the airport for such purpose on routes between Europe and North America. The minimum flight connection time for passengers at Keflavík Airport is 25 minutes.

Isavia has, with the assistance of an incentives system, been quite successful in getting airlines to fly to Iceland over the winter months. In addition, Isavia has marketed time slots outside peak hours each day, with the aim of making better use of the airport’s facilities.

Keflavík Airport has two runways, which are 3,054 and 3,065 m long.

Value creation

Isavia is a company that plays an important role both community-wise and in an economic sense. Isavia’s airports, especially Keflavík International Airport, create value for the community and the economy, both in Iceland and elsewhere in the world. Direct flight connections are extremely important. The more direct connections by flight from Iceland to the main cities of the world, the easier it is for Icelandic companies and private persons to engage in business overseas and export goods and seek international experience. In addition, they increase the interest of overseas companies to begin operations in Iceland.

Airports are important business centres and directly and indirectly strengthen the creation of economic and social value for the communities that their operations touch. Being located close by an airport allows companies and their value chains to enjoy the benefits of their closeness and directly and indirectly support positive economic developments for such areas.

Isavia has, through e.g. the preparation of its Masterplan to 2040, examined the possibility of constructing, in the operating area of the airport, an Airport City. There are numerous opportunities that arise from creating an airport city. This consists of the area that covers the airport, the terminal, cargo areas, office buildings, shops and services as well as hotels. The area could support the development of operations, both flight-related and non-flight-related, enjoying the benefits of being located near an international airport with strong flight connections to gain a competitive edge. Clear policies towards such goals can result in an increase in goods and services transactions, attract increased foreign investment in Iceland, increase the number of valuable jobs and increase the prosperity of all Icelanders.

A total of 764 employees work in the largest operation unit of Isavia at Keflavík Airport. In addition, hundreds of employees work in other companies that have operations in direct connection with the airport. Approximately 239 companies have long-term access authorisations to the airport. These are companies or public bodies with facilities within the airport and the companies that provide them with services.

Isavia’s contribution to the community consists of a range of different elements. Some of Isavia’s contributions are in the form of taxes and public levies that the Group pays or collects, together with matching contributions to employee pension funds.