Airports in Iceland

In Iceland, you can find 464 authorized airports. This is a number that you probably would not have guessed if being asked but the truth of the matter is that people live quite scattered around the country and some places can simply only be reached by boat or flight. Take Vestmannaeyjar or the Westman Islands for example. It is a completely isolated settlement on an island off the south shore of Iceland, too far away for a bridge to reach it. The airports are, of course, different in size and for the most part the four main airports run the show.

• Keflavik International Airport (KEF)

• Reykjavik Domestic Airport (RKV)

• Egilsstaðir Domestic Airport (EGS)

• Akureyri Domestic Airport (AEY)

Keflavik Airport is the largest airport in Iceland and will in 99% of cases be where you arrive at and depart from on an international flight to Iceland. That is unless you are coming from Greenland or the Faroe Islands.

All the major airlines flying to Iceland come through Keflavik airport and airlines are waiting in line to get a slot at the terminals. However, this position is brand new and was not even close at the turn of the 21st century. Due to this swift change, the airport administration has not had time or funds to build in accordance with the demand and the airport can get busy. Even so, the airport has a great system and the staff works hard to keep everything going as smoothly as possible. The airport also now has a much wider variety of shops, restaurants, bars and cafés which are split into two separate areas.

Keflavik Airport is located about 45 minutes from Reykjavík and you can easily travel in between a flybus and taxi or simply by your rental car as most of the car rentals in Iceland offer to pick up at the airport.

GETTING TO REYKJAVIK AREA FROM KEFLAVIK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

The distance between Reykjavik and Keflavik is 49 km (30.5 miles) via Route 41. This road is pretty straightforward and it has impressive scenery on both sides. There are multiple ways to transfer to Reykjavik from Keflavik airport.

Keflavik to Reykjavik in a rental car

The ideal way to reach Reykjavik is to rent a car. Especially, if you have plans to self-drive in Iceland, renting a car at the airport will optimize your travel and make your transport less stressful. It allows more control over your route planning. In addition to many service providers at the airport, you can also rent your car via the car rental platform to have your car delivered to the airport for you. If you are traveling in as a bigger group, you can also find a campervan or motorhome at a favorable price via the most reliable car rental service in Iceland.

Keflavik to Reykjavik by bus

Many bus companies operate airport transportation all year round. If you plan to take the bus, here is what you need to do:

The bus ticket booth is close to the Arrivals Gate at Keflavik airport. After you come through the Customs, you exit the gate, then you can see the sales office. Online ticket purchasing is also available for both operators. You can check the bus schedule.

The bus status is constantly updated on the information screen in the terminal. It helps the passengers to see when is the next bus leaving.

Flybus is located outside the arrivals hall at the airport. On the way to Reykjavik, the bus makes two stops. One at Hotel Viking in Hafnarfjordur, one at Aktu Taktu in Gardabaer. It’s very convenient for those who choose to stay in these areas. Upon reaching Reykjavik, the bus first stops at BSI Bus Terminal. Transfers to all major hotels, the Laugardalur camping area, and the domestic airport are available on smaller buses.   

Airport Express has their Passenger Pick-Up Staff waiting in the Arrivals Hall. The bus commutes between the airport and the Bus Terminal at Lækjartorg. They also offer complimentary pick-up/drop-off services from all major hotels in the capital area.

They both have free WIFI on all buses. The ride takes approximately 45 minutes from Keflavik to Reykjavik via Route 41. Besides those free stops, the bus can stop at many other designated stops for an additional fee. You can check the list of stops on their websites.

Airport Direct operates the route between Keflavik and Reykjavik. They have a variety of options including economy, premium, private and luxury. There is one stop in between at Hamraborg in Kopavogur. You can also add your hotel located on the ride. Their service is a straight line between two locations saving you time during the trip.

Other

The airport to Blue Lagoon transfer is an excellent alternative to take you to the Reykjavik area. The bus departs from Keflavik Airport and stops at Blue Lagoon. After you had an enjoyable time in the milky blue warmness, you can hop on the bus again to your hotel in the Reykjavik area. This is an efficient way to manage your traveling in Iceland. You can start your exploration instantly. This also applies to those who are going to Keflavik for your outbound flight. Due to the high demand for entering Blue Lagoon, it’s better to book your visit in advance.

A private taxi service is also available at the airport. You can arrange your pick-up drive through the airport website. Icelandair also offers a personal taxi transfer from the airport to your hotel starting from €134.

From the list below, you can see Iceland is very well connected via all kinds of transportation. If you want to take a domestic flight in Iceland, the system is working splendidly for this purpose.

Here is a list of the major domestic airports in Iceland:

• Akureyri Airport (AEY)

• Bíldudalur Airport (BIU)

• Egilsstaðir Airport (EGS)

• Hornafjordur Airport (HFN)

• Húsavík Airport (HZK)

• Isafjordur Airport (IFJ)

• Reykjavik Airport (RKV)

• Saudarkrokur Airport (SAK)

• Thorshofn Airport (THO)

• Vestmannaeyjar Airport (VEY)

• Grimsey Airport (GRY)

• Vopnafjordur Airport (VPN)

• Gjogur Airport (GJR)

Reykjavik Airport has located in downtown Reykjavík only a walking distance from Hallgrímskirkja church and the central. From there you can catch daily flights to most of the smaller airports in Iceland but also flights to the Faroe Islands and Greenland. This can be a very fascinating option to have for your Iceland itinerary. The airlines flying from Reykjavík Airport are Ernir or Eagle Air and Flugfélag Íslands or Air Iceland Connect.

This airport is also where most of our exciting helicopter tours of Iceland will depart from.

Note: flights to Greenland are very weather dependent and are often delayed. Keep it in mind when making a booking.

Air Iceland Connect is the only airline flying to Egilsstaðir airport. You can take flights multiple times a day to Reykjavík but you can also fly from Egilsstaðir to Ísafjörður and four different places in Greenland, Ilulissat, Nuuk, Narsarsuaq and Kulusuk.

Air Iceland connect is again the only airline flying to Akureyri. The flight from Reykjavík takes about 45-60 minutes and is available multiple times a day. You can fly from Akureyri to Reykjavík, Egilsstaðir, Grímsey Island, Vopnafjörður, Þórshöfn and five different locations in Greenland, Ilulissat, Nuuk, Kulusuk, Nasarsuaq and Nerlerit Innat.

The biggest Icelandic airlines are WOW air and Icelandair but now many different airlines are flying to Iceland. Those range from large ones to small, mostly depending on the destination they fly to and from. The airlines that fly to Iceland are:

• Icelandair

• PLAY Airlines

• WOW Air

• Adria Airways

• Air Baltic

• Air Canada

• Air Greenland

• Air Iceland Connect

• American Airlines

• Atlantic Airways

• Austrian

• British Airways

• Czech Airlines

• Delta

• EasyJet

• Edelweiss

• Eurowings

• Finnair

• Germania

• Iberia Express

• Jet2.com

• Lufthansa

• Norwegian

• S7

• SAS

• Thomsonfly Lt.

• Transavia

• Travel Service

• United Airlines

• Vueling

• Wizz Air

• WOW Air

Here we will list all of the airports that can be found around the country, some are quite big, Keflavík, Akureyri, Egilsstaðir and Reykjavík airports for example but others barely have a house/hut. If you are looking to make your way around Iceland in a more timely manner you might want to seek out these airports and book a flight.

• Stykkishólmur

• Ísafjörður

• Patreksfjörður

• Þingeyri

• Gjögur

• Bíldudalur

• Akureyri

• Blönduós

• Grímsey Island

• Húsavík

• Sauðárkrókur

• Raufarhöfn

• Sauðanes

• Syðralón

• Egilsstaðir

• Norðfjörður

• Vopnafjörður

• Selfoss

• Höfn

• Vestmannaeyjar

• Þórshöfn

Millions of passengers from all over the world are flying in to see the stunning sceneries and unbelievable sights. At the same time, Iceland has been building up its accommodating muscles. This increase facilitated the airlines to come up with new routes and new launching points. Travelers now have more options for reasonable flight duration.

We have compiled a comprehensive updated list for you to see how long it takes to fly to Iceland from major cities in the world. The list is sorted alphabetically by the name of the departure cities.

Flight scanning platforms and comparison websites are crowding the market like never before. Finding the proper tool to help you snatch the best deal possible is essential. Depending on the duration and where you are flying from, we have carefully researched several platforms to suit the different needs.

For those who fly short-haul flights, Skyscanner.net excels in smooth and fast searches. This website provides a quick comparison for those airlines that fly to the same destination. But you must be mindful that the price is not always updated. Once you see a favorable price listed on Skyscanner, please go directly to the airline company website. Other than that, it’s always nice to have a smart application to find the price range for your next trip.

Google Flights is another agile tool that offers a straight comparison for your trip. It is responsive and efficient. It’s good for both desktop and mobile users. The presentation of the results is also well-organized, with highlights on the best options and notes on the cheaper flights on nearby dates. You can even set up a price tracking alert, Google will scrape what you need and deliver it right to your email. An attractive map view of the destinations with annotated prices is also helpful. This effortless approach will free up some time for you to plan your itinerary and tours in Iceland.

Momondo is an essential flight booking site if you are planning to book a long-haul flight. The user feedback was that it’s an absolute penny-saver. Some even said they had saved hundreds in booking long-haul flights. Despite these praises, Momondo stands out with the flow chart of the best available prices. You can scan the cheaper alternatives on another date on the chart. The colorful and friendly approach can help you filter out the desirable itinerary. It especially outperforms multi-city booking.

When you search for the best deal on a long-haul flight, Kayak has the reputation of being capable and trustworthy. It has a map feature allowing you to browse prices geographically. Compared to other adequate sites, Kayak is most likely to offer the cheapest price if you are fine with making up your long-haul with multiple small trips.

DOHOP is another useful flight comparison and booking site, and the first version was launched in 2005. This Iceland-based search engine was designed to fix the issue of finding the right connecting flight. More fantastically, it offers Dohop Protection if you miss a connecting flight. If a foreseeable or unwanted travel disruption happens, you can reach out to their customer service. They will answer your call with solutions. It’s perfect for the long-haul flight with a layover in between. This site may seem tiny, but with multiple language inputs, it’s very convenient to navigate for travelers from Europe and Asia.

To answer this question, first, we are going to look into the fact when is the best time to visit Iceland.

Iceland’s location defines the uncommon climate and weather. The mild long winter and tepid short summer are separated by the chilly spring and the colorful autumn. Visiting Iceland in the holiday season in the summer and winter can be costly. But the views are amazing.

Therefore, the airfare to Iceland will be more expensive close to those periods. If you plan to travel to Iceland during this time of the year, an early booking should be considered. It’s more likely to get a better deal. Although, just like booking too late, too early can also result in a higher price. International tickets' best deals are usually between 5 months to 2 months before the departure date.

But the cheapest deal isn’t always working for everyone. Some airlines charge extra on first check-in luggage and other additional services. During your booking process, the scale of your travel belongings should be taken into consideration too.

Another tip is that Tuesday is the best day in the week to shop for your tickets, according to industry experts. For international travelers, travel on weekdays is usually cheaper than on the weekends.

And always compare the fare between nonstop and connecting flights. If a layover is acceptable for you, it’s worth trying if it can save up to 50% of your cost.

Icelandic nature has its charm all year round. So visiting Iceland in non-peak seasons is fabulous too. You will have a better deal when you avoid the peak season. Consulting a travel agent near you is also a good choice. They could offer special deals and insider information.