Akureyri Airport

In 1944, Loftleiðir started flying from Reykjavík on Grumman Goose seaplanes, which added competition to the popular route.

[5] It was not until the early 1950s that construction of the airport itself started on top of a landfill on the delta of Eyjafjörður river, a few kilometres from the town's center.

[9] In 2008, Norlandair was founded, which serves destinations in north-eastern Iceland in cooperation with Icelandair and operates various charter flights to Greenland.

[10] In 2022, the first airline specifically serving international destinations in northern Iceland, Niceair, began operations at Akureyri airport.

[12] Isavia and the local tourism industry stakeholders have long term plans to increase capacity and introduce new international routes to the airport.

[13] The need for a larger terminal and ramp was obvious during the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull, when many international flights were operated from Akureyri after Keflavík airport was closed due to volcanic ash.

Passenger numbers were far above the terminal's capacity and a limited amount of ramp space was available for large aircraft.

A large portion of the material needed was obtained from scrap rubble from the construction of the nearby Vaðlaheiðargöng tunnel.

The town of Akureyri is the largest in Northern Iceland, and the airport serves as a gateway to the wider region.

Akureyri Airport in northeastern Iceland