Icelandair

**Icelandair** is the flag carrier airline of Iceland, headquartered at Keflavík International Airport near the capital city Reykjavik. It is part of the Icelandair Group and operates to destinations on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean from its main hub at Keflavík International Airport. The geographical position of Iceland is convenient for one-stop transatlantic flights, which is one pillar of the airline's business strategy, along with traffic to, from, and within the country.

## History

Icelandair traces its roots back to 1937, when **Flugfélag Akureyrar** was founded in Akureyri on the north coast of Iceland. Flight operations started in 1938 with a single Waco YKS-7 configured as a floatplane. In 1939 the airline was grounded when this aircraft was destroyed in a capsizing accident. The company moved to Reykjavík, where it acquired another Waco aircraft and was re-launched in 1940 as **Flugfélag Íslands**, which translates as *Flight Company of Iceland*. Previously, two unrelated airlines of the same name had existed in the country (from 1919 to 1920, and between 1928 and 1931). For international purposes, the name **Iceland Airways** was adopted.

The fleet was expanded with a Beechcraft Model 18 in 1942; and with two de Havilland Dragon Rapides and a Consolidated PBY Catalina in 1944, the latter being the first ever aircraft registered in Iceland to be flown to Iceland by an Icelandic crew from North America. On 11 July 1945, this aircraft operated the first commercial flight over the Atlantic Ocean for the airline, which led from Reykjavík to Largs in Scotland, with four passengers and four crew members on board. Regular flights to Prestwick Airport in Scotland and Copenhagen in Denmark, using Consolidated B-24 Liberator aircraft leased from Scottish Airlines were launched in 1946.

In the same year, comfort and performance of domestic flights in Iceland could be improved with the introduction of the Douglas DC-3. A total of six were purchased, which remained in service with the airline until 1972. Until the late 1960s, Flugfélag concentrated mostly on domestic flights, where it initially faced fierce competition from Loftleiðir, another airline which had been founded in 1944. When a merger proposal of the Icelandic government was rejected by the two airlines, the domestic routes were split among them as a measure to ease competition. When Loftleiðir pulled out of the domestic market in 1952 to fully concentrate on international flights, Flugfélag became the main domestic carrier of the country.

International services stayed part of the business model of Flugfélag, though to a far lesser extent compared to Loftleiðir. In 1948, the Douglas DC-4 was introduced on those routes, and in 1957 two new Vickers 759 Viscounts were acquired, the first turboprop airliners to be operated by an Icelandic airline. In the 1950s, Flugfélag began to use the 'Icelandair' branding for its international flights.

## Special Liveries

As of September 2018, Icelandair operates 3 aircraft with 'special' liveries. Two depict the natural beauty of Iceland, one showcasing the largest glacier in Europe: Vatnajökull, as well as celebrating the independence of Iceland for 100 years, while the other highlights the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights), also being part of Icelandair's #IcelandStopover campaign. The third aircraft (Boeing B757 TF-ISX 'Þingvellir') is painted in the red, white, and blue livery of Iceland's flag and celebrates both the 100th anniversary of Icelandic National Sovereignty (1918-2018) and the National Men's Football Team's World Cup debut in 2018.

Icelandair Special Liveries