Icelandic airlines not interested in EGS
Egilsstaðir Airport (EGS). Photo: Sigurður Bogi
British travel agency Discover the World is planning a direct international flight route from London (UK) to Egilsstaðir (EGS) in eastern Iceland. Icelandic airlines have expressed no interest in operating the route.
According to Icelandic tourism and travel website turisti.is, there will be a weekly service between London and the Icelandic regional airport of Egilsstaðir all through summer 2016 until 2 October. This will be followed by a twice-weekly service in February and March 2017.
The plan is for the route to connect Egilsstaðir with London’s Gatwick airport, the second largest in the UK.
According to Clive Stacey, owner of Discover the World, both Icelandair and WOW air were approached regarding cooperation on the route but nothing came of those discussions. “Since nobody else is interested, we are doing it ourselves,” explains Stacey.
A committee within the Icelandic Prime Minister’s Office is currently working on proposals to boost international flights from both Akureyri (AEY) and Egilsstaðir. According to Chair of the Committee, Matthías Imsland, options such as waiving airport taxes and granting marketing aid are being considered.
According to Stacey, such support initiatives are very important if the Egilsstaðir route is to be profitable. “These plans will come to fruition only if government agencies, business and tourism in East Iceland all lend their support” he says.
You can find the full turisti.is article (in Icelandic) here.
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