EasyJet starts direct flights to Akureyri

EasyJet is planning to operate direct flights from Gatwick, London to Akureyri next winter on scheduled services. The airline has already opened for bookings, with the first flight on October 31. It will operate twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, through March 2024.

A notice from the North Iceland Marketing Office indicates that the airline is considering a new route. “Akureyri is the capital of North Iceland, which offers great opportunities for tourists and is backed by the attractions of nature, culture and history. Visitors can enjoy whale watching, hiking, observing the northern lights, or taking baths while enjoying the views of the area,” is reported in an EasyJet announcement.

The airline is working with the travel agency EasyJet Holidays and therefore package holidays to the North will also be offered in connection with these flights.

Now it will be possible to fly to London from …

Now it will be possible to fly to London from Akureyri next winter. AFP/Johannes Eisele

“EasyJet’s winter flights are the culmination of years of preparation and collaboration, with countless numbers of people who have helped. The partnerships between Air66N and Nature Direct play a key role. With two flights to London every week during the winter season, many opportunities are created for Nordic tourism, which can show how dynamic and cohesive it is in the goal of making the Nordic country a desirable destination. You could say that a new destination is being created for Britons by these flights, at the very time of year when tourism has been slower. In the same way, there will be an exciting option for travelling local and other industries, both to the UK but also on connecting flights via Gatwick.

Good experience

The winter flights from UK to Akureyri offered during the winter season, a few years ago, proved to be successful. Tourism operators in the North of Iceland have done a good job in product development and marketing and it is now taking off. Up to 1500 overnight stays a week are expected during the winter season with this new route. Therefore, we can expect EasyJet flights to change the development of tourism in Iceland with direct access to the North and East,” stated Arnheiður Jóhannsdóttir, managing director of the Marketing Office of the Nordic Region.

Akureyri.

Akureyri. mbl.is

Sigrún Björk Jakobsdóttir, CEO of Isavia Domestic Airports, welcomes the UK airline’s decision. “It is a great joy that EasyJet has decided to launch a flight to Akureyri this winter. We welcome their passengers. It is especially nice to have this increased traffic now that the terminal extension is in sight and all field developments will be put into operation and then completed in the spring of 2024.”

The negotiations with EasyJet date back to 2014. Interest has been growing steadily, but it could be said that various factors have influenced the decision to move from the UK to Akureyri until now. Among them were the withdrawal of the British from the EU, the Covid pandemic and the build-up of Akureyri Airport.

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