Flights to Europe from RDU become more competitive, as Icelandair expands
Icelandair says it will expand its service from Raleigh-Durham International Airport, offering daily year-around flights starting in May 2024.
The airline began flying between RDU and Keflavik, the airport outside Iceland’s capital Reykjavik, in May 2022. At the time, the flights were seasonal and four days a week.
But on the day of that inaugural flight, Icelandair president and CEO Bogi Nils Bogason said he expected the service would be successful and that gradually the airline would expand it. Earlier this year, the carrier decided to fly the route year around, and on Thursday it announced it will go from four roundtrips a week to seven starting May 20.
“North Carolinians have far exceeded our expectations during these past two years of service,” Bogason said in a statement. “We see both business and leisure travelers from RDU traveling to Iceland and beyond, and Icelandair is now excited to bridge the Research Triangle with Europe via daily service starting in May.”
Icelandair caters not only to travelers who want to visit Iceland but also offers connecting flights through Keflavik to more than two dozen cities in Europe. The airline offers extended layovers in Iceland for travelers who want to visit both in one trip.
More than 70,000 passengers have flown RDU’s Icelandair route since it launched in 2022, according to RDU president and CEO Michael Landguth, who said the service has “exceeded our expectations.”
The market for trans-Atlantic travel from the Triangle will be more competitive than ever next summer. In addition to Icelandair, American Airlines continues its daily flights to London’s Heathrow Airport, while Air France recently took on Delta’s service to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
And next June, Lufthansa will begin nonstops between RDU and Frankfurt, Germany, five days a week, offering Triangle residents four gateways onto the continent and beyond.
