Passengers might not make it to their destination before Christmas

It is unlikely that all Icelandair passengers will reach their destination before Christmas if the air traffic controllers strike continues, but it is estimated that ten thousand more passengers will be affected if strikes continue next week.

This is stated in an announcement made by the airline just now.

Ten thousand more passengers next week

According to the announcement, the strikes by air traffic controllers this week have caused considerable disruption to Icelandair’s flight schedule. Further strikes have been announced on Monday and Wednesday next week which will cause continued disruption to the company’s flight schedule and passenger travel plans.

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International flights resumed after 10 am

The announcement states that the actions taken by the Icelandic Air Traffic Controllers Association this week affected the travel of 13,000 Icelandair passengers, and in the next week it is estimated that 23,000 passengers will be affected.

It also states that due to the large number of passengers, the likelihood of not getting all passengers to their destination increases due to the strikes, as all flights are tightly booked at this time of year.

Icelandic airlines are mostly affected by strike

In the announcement, Icelandair criticizes the timing of the strikes, which the company says the Air Traffic Controllers Association chose to cause damage to the Icelandic airlines.

“The strike will take place between 4-10 o’clock in the morning, at which time most Icelandic aircrafts from North America land at Keflavík International Airport and most aircrafts take off for Europe,” the announcement reads.

“The Air Traffic Controllers’ Association has chosen the timing of the operations to cause damage to the Icelandic airlines while other international airlines are less affected.”

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Flights of thousands disrupted

According to the Icelandair announcement, the company expects that the strike action will result in considerable costs, especially as a result of increased passenger numbers.

In addition, current estimates suggest that the direct costs of these strikes could be approximately USD 5-7 million. If a deal is not reached as soon as possible, the company will seek every means possible to get compensated by Isavia for the financial damage caused by the strike.

The actions affect people looking to meet family

Bogi Nils Bogason, CEO of Icelandair, says the situation is serious and it is urgent that agreements are reached as soon as possible. Iceland relies on air transportation to travel to and from Iceland, and is therefore particularly vulnerable to this type of action.

“The strikes have already caused financial damage, which will increase significantly as Christmas approaches if no agreement is reached,” Bogason says.

“The measures affect regular people the most  – people who are traveling to see family and friends at this important time of year. We will of course do our best to get our passengers to their destination before Christmas, but it’s not guaranteed to work out if things continue as they have. It’s therefore imperative that the parties get together and reach a solution as soon as possible.”