Latest news - Iceland Monitor

Three of the company's four Airbus flight simulators will now be in use in Iceland, all in Hafnarfjörður, but one will be moved to Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Icelandair acquires new Airbus flight simulator

yesterday, 11:03 GMT Icelandair is putting a new Airbus flight simulator into operation, bringing the total number of simulators used by the airline in Iceland to three—all located in Hafnarfjörður.

Lilja Sif Pétursdóttir and Manuela Ósk Harðardóttir.

Lilja Sif Pétursdóttir crowned Miss Supranational Europe 2025

two days ago Lilja Sif Pétursdóttir, Iceland's representative in the international beauty pageant Miss Supranational 2025, was crowned Miss Supranational Europe in Poland this evening—one of the competition’s most prestigious titles. She also received the title of Miss Photogenic 2025, awarded to the contestant who performs best in front of the camera.

Witness interviews completed in Jón Þröstur Jónsson case

two days ago The Irish police have completed interviews with 46 individuals in Iceland as part of their investigation into the disappearance of Jón Þröstur Jónsson, who went missing in Dublin on February 9, 2019.

Missing the Brits this winter

29 Jun Rannveig Grétarsdóttir, owner of the whale watching company Elding in Reykjavík, says she expects visitor numbers for whale watching tours this year to be similar to last year, when the number of tourists declined somewhat.

Viktor Pétur Finnsson, chairman of the Young Independence Party (SUS), is at Þingvellir for the organization’s 95th anniversary celebration, joined by a large group of attendees.

Young conservatives celebrate 95 years at Þingvellir

28 Jun “We’re celebrating the 95th anniversary of SUS here at Þingvellir, which is a highly symbolic location for us,” says Viktor Pétur Finnsson, chairman of the Young Independence Party (SUS), in an interview with mbl.is. The occasion marks 95 years since the founding of the youth wing of Iceland’s Independence Party, which currently boasts nearly 15,000 members aged 15 to 35.

Work on revising the 2017 emergency response plan for a potential volcanic eruption beneath Mýrdalsjökull glacier, or in Katla, was presented to local residents.

"Traffic may need to be controlled in certain areas"

27 Jun Public information meetings on the updated emergency response plan for a potential volcanic eruption beneath Mýrdalsjökull glacier were held in Vík í Mýrdal last night—first in English and then in Icelandic.

“It is pure poison in Icelandic society. No civilized nation would even consider maintaining a system like the one we have,” says Vilhjálmur Birgisson, referring to indexation.

"Negative consequences for Icelandic households"

27 Jun No country in the world experiences such significant financial shifts when inflation surges as Iceland does, due to the widespread use of inflation-indexed debt among households and businesses. “This has serious and harmful consequences, and we are not on the right track,” says Vilhjálmur Birgisson, chairman of the Icelandic Federation of General and Special Workers (SGS), in an interview with mbl.is, following the recent spike in inflation.

Lake Þórisvatn has not filled since the autumn of 2019. Now, there is a strong likelihood that it will reach full capacity.

Reservoirs filling up – No power shortages expected this winter

26 Jun Reservoir levels at Landsvirkjun’s hydropower stations are in good shape as June draws to a close, and there are currently no signs of electricity shortages for the coming winter.

Tourist numbers at Þingvellir have increased this year.

Tourist surge and festivities at Þingvellir

26 Jun Einar Á. E. Sæmundsen, park manager at Þingvellir National Park, says visitor numbers have noticeably increased so far this year.

A cargo vessel carrying the power cables docked in the Westman Islands yesterday. The cables are now awaiting installation.

Two new power cables to be laid to the Westman Islands

25 Jun Plans are underway to begin laying two new power cables to the Westman Islands around the end of the month. A specialized cable-laying vessel, owned by the Norwegian company Seaworks, is expected to arrive in Iceland by midweek to carry out the operation.

Volcanologist Þorvaldur Þórðarson (right) on the Reykjanes Peninsula in April.

Sundhnúkagígar crater row: “Maybe running out of fuel”

25 Jun Land inflation beneath Svartsengi continues to fluctuate daily, and volcanologist Þorvaldur Þórðarson says these irregularities may signal that volcanic activity is starting to slow down.

Exploring new ways to improve recycling in Reykjavík.

Reykjavík to launch waste sorting pilot project

24 Jun The City of Reykjavík is preparing to launch a pilot project focused on waste sorting in public areas. The initiative was recently introduced to the city’s Environment and Planning Committee and is expected to begin in the near future.

Þórsson was arrested near Krýsuvíkurvegur in September last year, suspected of having killed his daughter, who was found dead at the scene.

Father sentenced to 16 years for killing his daughter

24 Jun Sigurður Fannar Þórsson has been sentenced to 16 years in prison by the Reykjavík District Court for the murder of his 10-year-old daughter near Krýsuvík on September 15, 2024. According to the court ruling, he struck the girl 9–10 times in the back of the head with a hammer.

Stefán Sveinsson says that more high-purity cocaine is entering the country than before, often arriving in 1 kg packages prepared in South America. Photo from mbl.is Photo Archives.

Drug mules recruited online to smuggle cocaine into Iceland

23 Jun The use of the internet to recruit drug mules for smuggling narcotics into Iceland is on the rise. This may partly explain why such a high proportion of mules caught at the border are foreign nationals. It could also reflect the growing presence of international criminal organizations operating in the country.

Emergency response exercise involving Coast Guard helicopters.

Photos: Large-scale emergency exercise near Selfoss

23 Jun Emergency responders in South Iceland, along with the Icelandic Coast Guard and the Grindavík Fire Department, took part in a large-scale training exercise at the Selfoss airfield on Saturday, from 12:00 to 18:00.