Keflavik Airport Smashes Records

Iceland is hot.

Growing by an immense 28% in passenger numbers, Iceland’s Keflavik Airport welcomed 8.8 million passengers in 2017.

Seeing nearly two million more passengers than the year before, the Icelandic hub saw balanced growth across O&D and connecting traffic, resulting in another record-breaking year for the gateway.

“It’s exhilarating to be part of the rapid growth we’re experiencing here at Keflavik and it’s showing no signs of slowing down,” said Hlynur Sigurdsson, Commercial Director, Isavia.

He added, “To get a clear idea of how rapidly our airport is growing, just two years ago we welcomed 4.8 million passengers, which means in 24 months we’ve nearly doubled our traffic. Forecasts are already suggesting we will not only hit the definitive 10 million passenger mark, but significantly pass it this year.”

In 2017, a total of 107 destinations in 33 countries had a direct connection from Keflavik, operated by 32 airlines. Serving its furthest point Los Angeles (6,942 km) 270 times during the year, its closest Vagar (803 km) 43 times, Copenhagen was however the most frequently-served destination with around 1,750 flights throughout the year. The most heavily-used aircraft type at the airport in 2017 was the 757-200, followed by the A321.

Boosting its well-established strong route network, the airport is already scheduled to launch a further 14 links in the first half of 2018. With five of the new routes within Europe, the remaining will significantly increase Iceland’s links to North America, resulting in Keflavik being connected to 28 destinations on the continent.