Icelandair, the national carrier of Iceland, marked 70 years in the aviation industry on Sunday 3rd June.
Icelandair started its airline business as Flugfelag Akureyrar on 3rd June 1937 in Akureyri on the north coast of Iceland. In 1943 it changed its name to Flugfelag Islands and moved to Reykjavik, the capital. In 1945 Flugfelag Islands made its first international flights to Scotland and Denmark and in 1953 started its pioneering transatlantic services via Iceland.
The next 25 years saw the airline emerge as the premier low-cost carrier across the Atlantic, proving particularly popular with students making their first trips abroad. In 1973 it become known as Flugleidir and in 1979 decided to use Icelandair as its international trade name, but keeping the name Flugleidir for the domestic market. Since then the airline has gone from strength to strength and now serves 23 destinations in Europe, the US and Canada.
Icelandair stands out from its competitors by being the only one to offer a free stop-over in Iceland, breaking the long transatlantic journey in two. Passengers often choose to use the break for a quick dip in the famous geothermal Blue Lagoon located near the airport or can choose to stay up to 7 nights in Iceland.
More information on Icelandair holidays and flights to and from Keflavik, Iceland can be found at Icelandair’s worldwide sites.