Icelandair began nonstop service from Raleigh-Durham International Airport to Reykjavik-Keflavik Airport in Iceland in May of last year. The airline stopped the service during the winter months and only flew seasonally. However, starting in May, Icelandair will begin nonstop service year-round from Raleigh-Durham in North Carolina to Reykjavik in Iceland.
Strong customer demand in 2022
Icelandair opened service to Raleigh-Durham, NC, back in May 2022. With the opening of this route, Icelandair became one of three airlines that fly across the Atlantic Ocean from RDU. The other two are American Airlines, which flies to London Heathrow Airport daily, and Delta Air Lines, which flies to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport daily as well. CEO Bogi Nils Bogason spoke about the opening service and said new routes are typically offered seasonally. He continued, saying,
"But our strategy is always — and the plan is — to extend the season gradually, and hopefully in a few years time it will be a whole-year service."
The airline initially planned to fly to Raleigh-Durham from May until October. However, the airline saw such success with the flights that it continued service until the end of the year. Icelandair only took a few months off before committing to a year-round service.
The route Icelandair offers to Reykjavik is typically flown four times a week from Raleigh-Durham International Airport. The flights are on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The airline announced this schedule would continue throughout the year.
Icelandair continues to launch routes
Not only does Icelandair offer direct service to Reykjavik, but the airline also advertises connecting flights to more than 25 European cities. Icelandair offers extended layovers for passengers who want to experience Iceland and other European countries.
Moving this seasonal route to a year-round route has recently been a common theme for Icelandair. The airline is continuing to look to expand seasonal routes. The airline's chief revenue officer, Tomas Ingason, released a statement saying,
"Due to strong customer demand, we are now introducing our most extensive winter schedule to date. We have been able to extend previously seasonal routes to year-round services and increase frequencies on other routes throughout the network for the winter 23/24 season."
Along with offering the year-round service to Raleigh-Durham from its hub in Reykjavik, the airline also recently announced it would be expanding its existing services and announced year-round service to Baltimore/ Washington International Airport and Vancouver International Airport.
Currently, Icelandair serves 14 airports in North America. Bogason briefly spoke about Icelandair's current standing in North America. He stated that Icelandair was attracted to RDU due to its growing population and its demographics. He also briefly compared it to other cities in the United States where Icelandair has reached success, such as Boston, Denver, and Seattle.
The carrier took deliveries of multiple Boeing 737 MAXs and a Boeing 767 in 2022. These acquisitions, positive financials throughout 2022 and the fourth quarter specifically, are allowing Icelandair to continue its route expansion across several countries.