Keflavik-Reykjavik Airport Seeks North America and Asia Expansion
Our Route Opportunities feature explores the latest unserved and underserved routes promoted through Routes 360, providing supporting information for airline network planners to consider and capitalize on.
Keflavik Airport (KEF), owned and operated by Isavia, handles 98% of Iceland's inbound and outbound traffic. As the country's main international gateway, KEF connects to more than 90 destinations through 28 airline partners and is expanding its reach across North America and Asia.
The airport served more than 7.7 million passengers in 2023, a 27% increase from the previous year. Key sources of inbound traffic include passengers from the U.S. (28.9%), the UK (12.8%), and Germany (6.3%). Icelandair, PLAY, Wizz Air, and easyJet are among its major carriers.
KEF recently announced a new partnership with Discover Airlines, which will begin operating three flights per week from Munich in April 2025. Also launching next summer is the airBaltic route to Tallinn Airport (TLL) starting in May 2025. Earlier this year, PLAY launched its first service to Split, Croatia, operating weekly through October, and Icelandair began a 4X-weekly service to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Canadian market has also seen growth, with KEF welcoming WestJet’s inaugural flight from Calgary in May 2024. Additionally, Air Canada has increased its flight frequency on routes to Toronto and Montreal.
As a member of Routes 360, the only digital platform dedicated to route development, KEF has uploaded multiple route opportunities to its profile to close connectivity gaps on long-haul services and enhance overall air connectivity.
North America Opportunities
Destinations across North America, including Boston, New York, and Washington, ranked among the top 10 routes operated from KEF in 2023. The airport has identified substantial expansion opportunities in the region, especially on previously served routes.
For example, a limited-time direct route to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) with defunct carrier WOW Air carried over 4,000 passengers in January and February 2019, a figure that has surged to more than 27,000 passengers flying indirectly to LAX from KEF in 2023.
Similarly, the previous direct route to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) saw more than 26,000 passengers in 2019, with nearly 20,000 travelers opting for indirect flights to SFO in 2023.
Asia Opportunities
In Asia, KEF has observed significant indirect traffic to destinations such as Hong Kong, Bangkok, Shanghai, and Incheon, indicating considerable passenger potential in the region over the past year. In 2019, Chinese visitors were the 4th largest inbound nationality to the airport totalling 5.7% of tourists.
Unserved:
- LAX – Los Angeles World Airports (LAX)
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- Hong Kong International Airport (HKG)
- Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK)
- Incheon International Airport (ICN)
- Narita International Airport Corporation (NRT)
- Beijing Capital International Airport Co. Ltd. (PEK)
- Shanghai International Airport Company Ltd (PVG)
Underserved
- Bergen Airport (BGO)
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