Icelandair’s inaugural flight to Philadelphia arrived at 6:56 p.m . Tuesday to cheers and a water canon salute on the airfield. The flight was later diverted to Boston because of a smell on the aircraft. 
 
 Mayor Kenney and a Philadelphia delegation arrived in Reykjavik on Wednesday night, a day after their original PHL-to-Iceland flight was diverted to Boston because of a suspicious odor on the Icelandair aircraft. 
 
 Kenney and his group, including Nicholas DeBenedictis, chairman of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, and his wife, Eileen, and Folasade Olanipekun-Lewis, chief administrative officer at the Philadelphia airport, were on the first flight from Boston that, according to the airline website, left at 2:40 p.m. Wednesday, scheduled to arrive in Reykjavik at 11:40 p.m., Kenney’s office confirmed. (Iceland local time is four hours later than Philadelphia.) The Wednesday night arrival was at 11:41, just one minute later than scheduled. 
 
 Also on that flight were Icelandair CEO Birkir Holm Gudnason and Reykjavik Mayor Dagur Eggertsson, who spent two days touring Philadelphia with Iceland tourism and convention officials. 
 
 All 183 passengers on Flight 828 that departed Philadelphia International shortly after 8:30 p.m. Tuesday on the inaugural flight, and new route, to Iceland were being accommodated on one of the three nonstop Icelandair flights leaving Boston on Wednesday at 2:35 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 9:30 p.m., an airline spokesman said. 
 
 “We were on our way, over Nova Scotia, when there was a smell detected from the rear of the aircraft,” said Icelandair spokesman Michael Raucheisen, who was on the original Tuesday flight. “Apparently, it smelled like some sort of rubber.” 
 
 “The pilots came back and smelled it. They said, ‘We think it’s best to find out what this smell is before we continue flying.’ It was 100 percent a safety call,” Raucheisen said. 
 
 The Boeing 547-200 was diverted to Boston, where Icelandair has a “full staff and maintenance team,” the spokesman said. 
 
 “Today, the mechanics have looked over the aircraft and they see nothing wrong,” Raucheisen said. However, the pilots wanted to know more about the smell before flying passengers. The airline will do a “test flight,” he said. 
 
 What began as a celebration at the aircraft gate in Philadelphia at 6 p.m. Tuesday with Icelandic hot dogs and meatballs, music, champagne, and cake from the Night Kitchen bakery in Chestnut Hill ended at 12:35 a.m. when the Iceland-bound flight landed in Boston. 
 
 “It’s unfortunate that this happy, awesome, celebratory day had to end this way,” Raucheisen said. “People were surprisingly understanding, and we appreciated that. 
 
 “Certainly, it’s frustrating for everyone when something like this happens. But I think everyone understood that it was done with safety in mind.” ||||| A water cannon salute marked the beginning of non-stop flights from Philadelphia to Iceland on Tuesday. Mayor Jim Kenney was onboard as the plane took off but technical problems caused the plane to be diverted to Boston. Kenney boarded another flight from Boston to Iceland. NBC10’s Rosemary Connors has the details. 
 
 Philadelphia added a cool destination Tuesday to the cities served by its international airport, but the first flight was diverted back to the United States due to technical difficulties. 
 
 Icelandair's inaugural flight from the city of Brotherly Love to Reykjavik, Iceland, took off from Philadelphia International Airport Tuesday just before 9 p.m. and was over Canada when it suddenly turned around and landed in Boston around 12:35 a.m. Wednesday. 
 
 "Rubber smell was detected on board which led to aircraft diversion," Icelandair tweeted. "Safety is our utmost priority." 
 
 Mayor Jim Kenney and a Philadelphia delegation were on board at the time. 
 
 
 
 "PHL Airport regrets the significant inconvenience this has caused all those on board," Kenney spokeswoman Lauren Hitt said. "We and Icelandair are committed to doing all we can to ensure future travelers have a smooth travel experience on this new route. This is obviously very out of the ordinary." 
 
 
 
 Kenney got off the plane in Boston. They then boarded Icelandair's scheduled new flight from Boston at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Hitt said. 
 
 "The Mayor and the rest of the delegation spent the evening in Boston," Hitt said. "At this point, they are planning to proceed to Iceland this afternoon." 
 
 Kenney complemented Icelandair customer service and food in a late Wednesday morning tweet: 
 
 "Still best in-flight meal I ever had—excited to continue to Iceland today! Thanks @Icelandair for handling with excellent customer service!" 
 
 Hitt said it is tradition for mayors to visit each other's cities when new international routes are established. Reykjavik Mayor Dagur Eggertsson spent two days touring Philadelphia. 
 
 
 
 Kenney is set to be in Iceland until Saturday. 
 
 Kenney had joined airport leaders and Icelandair officials to announce nonstop service from Philly to Iceland last October. Icelandair Takes Off from Philly International Airport 
 
 The inaugural flight from Philadelphia International Airport to Iceland took off Tuesday. It was part of a deal in which nonstop service between the city of Brotherly Love and Reykjavik was added to the airport. NBC10's Jacqueline London has the details. (Published Wednesday, May 31, 2017) 
 
 "We are very pleased to welcome Icelandair to PHL and look forward to offering nonstop service to Reykjavik," Airport CEO Chellie Cameron said. "This capital city is a gateway to a beautiful country and to its Scandinavian neighbors. We are proud to increase our non-stop international destinations and open a new market to our travelers." 
 
 Kenney noted the economic impact of the international flight, which should take less than 6 hours. 
 
 "The Airport is a potent economic engine to our city and the region, and convenient air service, particularly to international destinations, is essential in a global marketplace," Kenney said. "We are very excited about Icelandair’s arrival in Philadelphia, and we are eager to build and strengthen a partnership between our city and the amazing city of Reykjavik." 
 
 The addition of Icelandair marks the first time in two years that PHL added a service from a foreign airline. 
 
 And for anyone looking to hop to mainland Europe, Icelandair has a "Stopover" program that allows travelers to spend up to a week in Iceland without paying additional airfare. Top News: Mourning for George H.W. Bush's and More 
 
 Philly is Icelandair’s 18th U.S. destination. Iceland features 24 hours of daylight in the summer and the northern lights for more than half the year. 
 
 "Philadelphia will further strengthen Icelandair’s presence in the Mid-Atlantic and better serve our passengers with faster travel times to Europe and easy connections through the City of Brotherly Love," said Iceland air CEO Birkir Holm Gudnason. "Philadelphians will now have a refreshing alternative when traveling to Iceland and beyond, and Icelanders and Europeans will have direct access to the historic city of Philadelphia boasting the fifth largest population in the United States. This is an exciting and significant moment for Icelandair and we look forward to welcoming Philadelphia aboard." 
 
 Copyright Associated Press / NBC 10 Philadelphia ||||| The first-ever Icelandair flight from Philadelphia to Reykjavik was diverted to Boston early Wednesday morning after the pilots noticed an "unusual" smell in the aircraft, the airline said. 
 
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 Pilots had decided to land the plane when they were unable to determine what the smell was, the airline said, adding that it thought it would be best to figure out what the issue was while the plane was grounded. 
 
 The mayor of Reykjavik, Dagur Eggertsson, and the mayor of Philadelphia, Jim Kenney, were both on the flight, and the two were photographed together earlier on Tuesday while taking a tour of Philadelphia. 
 
 Kenney had been scheduled to remain in Iceland through Saturday, but he, along with all of the other passengers on the flight, were forced to stay the night in Boston, according to his office. 
 
 Mayor Kenny's Office confirmed the diversion in a statement early Wednesday, calling the incident a "significant inconvenience." 
 
 "The Mayor is disembarking the plane along with the rest of the delegation and spending the evening in Boston," the mayor's office said in a statement. "PHL Airport regrets the significant inconvenience this has caused all those on board. We and Icelandair are committed to doing all we can to ensure future travelers have a smooth travel experience on this new route. This is obviously very out of the ordinary." 
 
 Icelandair communications director Michael Raucheisen, who was also on the flight, told ABC News that there is currently "no timing" for when the flight will take off again and he does not know if a new aircraft will be sent to Boston to accommodate the displaced passengers. 
 
 Icelandair and the Philadelphia Airport celebrated the inaugural flight in promotional events that included a water cannon salute as the flight arrived and "a ribbon-cutting ceremony" with city officials from Iceland and Philadelphia. The festivities also featured traditional Philadelphia cheesesteaks, Icelandic hot dogs and a massive four-layer airplane cake. 
 
 Icelandair CEO Birkir Gudnason also attended the launch, which was heavily promoted on the airport's Twitter page. 
 
 Gudnason said the airline had been banking on the new service to "further strengthen" its presence in the Mid-Atlantic, according to a statement released Tuesday. 
 
 Icelandair had even introduced a new glacier-themed aircraft for the trip, the Vatnajokull, which the airline described as having an "interior inspired by an ice cave" and "specially designed LED lighting." 
 
 ABC News' Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.
– Icelandair was supposed to fly its first flight from Philadelphia to Reykjavik overnight. Instead, the flight ended up being diverted to Boston early Wednesday thanks to what the airline is calling an "unusual" smell, ABC News reports. Pilots decided to land after they couldn't determine what was causing the smell, which NBC Philadelphia reports was also described as smelling like rubber. The flight, which departed Tuesday night, was over Canada at the time. The mayors of both cities were onboard the flight, with Philadelphia's mayor's office issuing a statement calling the incident a "significant inconvenience" and "obviously very out of the ordinary." It was a less-than-ideal twist in what was supposed to be a celebration of the inaugural flight; Icelandair had introduced a new glacier-themed plane for the occasion, and promotional events included a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a water cannon salute. It's still not clear what caused the smell, but both mayors were again en route to Iceland on a new flight out of Boston Wednesday afternoon, Philly.com reports. All the other passengers on the flight were to be accommodated on Wednesday flights out of Boston as well.