newstodate.aero
Aug 29, 2018 (newstodate): Icelandair's status as "grandfather" at the country's Keflavik Airport are long past, and the market is changing rapidly.
Two days ago, the Icelandair Group President and CEO stepped down after a forecast for 2018 dramatically below earlier expectations, citing both deep-going changes in the market situation and the Group's internal difficulties in adjusting its organization to the changes.
While the Icelandair Group is now hunting for a new CEO to steer the airline into a changed future, a new strategy is clearly needed.
Icelandair's share of the total operations at Keflavik Airport has long been declining as the new domestic entrant WOW Air makes its impact while the number of airlines operating flights to Iceland has grown steeply over the last few years.
As a few examples, Iceland in November 2013 accounted for 76.3 percent of all flight operations at Keflavik, while this had dropped to 67.8 in November 2014 and to 45.3 percent in March 2017.
At the same time, the number of airlines operating flights at Keflavik Airport grew to 28 in summer 2018, including notable several low-cost carriers that now account for almost 10 percent of the traffic.
As a result, Iceland's air connectivity has been boosted by these developments.
In the summer 2018 schedule Keflavik Airport was thus served by 28 airlines offering flights to 100 destinations in 30 countries.
In summer 2017, 27 commercial airlines operated flights from Iceland to 78 destinations across Europe and North America compared to flights to 46 destinations in summer 2016, while Keflavik Airport only had flights to 18 destinations in summer 2007.
Two days ago, the Icelandair Group President and CEO stepped down after a forecast for 2018 dramatically below earlier expectations, citing both deep-going changes in the market situation and the Group's internal difficulties in adjusting its organization to the changes.
While the Icelandair Group is now hunting for a new CEO to steer the airline into a changed future, a new strategy is clearly needed.
Icelandair's share of the total operations at Keflavik Airport has long been declining as the new domestic entrant WOW Air makes its impact while the number of airlines operating flights to Iceland has grown steeply over the last few years.
As a few examples, Iceland in November 2013 accounted for 76.3 percent of all flight operations at Keflavik, while this had dropped to 67.8 in November 2014 and to 45.3 percent in March 2017.
At the same time, the number of airlines operating flights at Keflavik Airport grew to 28 in summer 2018, including notable several low-cost carriers that now account for almost 10 percent of the traffic.
As a result, Iceland's air connectivity has been boosted by these developments.
In the summer 2018 schedule Keflavik Airport was thus served by 28 airlines offering flights to 100 destinations in 30 countries.
In summer 2017, 27 commercial airlines operated flights from Iceland to 78 destinations across Europe and North America compared to flights to 46 destinations in summer 2016, while Keflavik Airport only had flights to 18 destinations in summer 2007.