Keflavík International Airport

Introduction

Largest airport serving Reykjavík, Iceland This article is about the international airport. For Reykjavík's domestic airport, see Reykjavík Airport. Keflavík International AirportKeflavíkurflugvöllurIATA: KEFICAO: BIKFSummaryAirport typePublicOwner/OperatorIsavia ohf.ServesGreater Reykjavík AreaLocationSuðurnesjabær, IcelandOpened23 March 1943; 83 years ago (1943-03-23)Hub forIcelandairElevation AMSL52 m / 171 ftCoordinates63°59′06″N 22°36′20″W / 63.98500°N 22.60556°W / 63.98500; -22.60556Websitewww.kefairport.comMapKEF/BIKFLocation of airport in IcelandShow map of IcelandKEF/BIKFKEF/BIKF (Arctic)Show map of ArcticKEF/BIKFKEF/BIKF (Europe)Show map of EuropeRunways Direction Length Surface m ft 01/19 3,054 10,020 Asphalt 10/28 3,065 10,056 Asphalt Statistics (2025)Total passengers8,159,461Passengers arriving or leaving the airport on land5,922,931Passengers arriving or leaving when transferring between flights2,236,530Sources: AIP Iceland at ICAAStatistics: Isavia Limited Keflavík International Airport (Icelandic: Keflavíkurflugvöllur [ˈcʰɛplaˌviːkʏrˌflʏɣˌvœtlʏr̥]; IATA: KEF, ICAO: BIKF), also known as Reykjavík–Keflavík Airport, is the largest airport in Iceland and the country's main hub for international transportation. The airport is located approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) west of the town of Keflavík, Reykjanesbær and 50 km (30 mi) southwest of the capital Reykjavík. The airport has two runways, each measuring approx. 3,050 m (10,010 ft). Most international journeys to or from Iceland pass through this airport, and it is the 5th busiest airport in the Nordic countries. Keflavík is a hub for Icelandair and is served by 27 airlines as of 2025. The airport is only used for international flights; all domestic flights use the smaller Reykjavík Airport, which lies three kilometres (two miles) from Reykjavík's city centre. Keflavík Airport is operated by Isavia, a government enterprise.

History

[edit] Aerial view of the main buildings in 2006. Terminal exterior Terminal interior Early years[edit] Main article: Naval Air Station Keflavik Originally, the airport was built by the United States military during the military allied occupation of Iceland in World War II, as a replacement for a small British landing strip at Garður to the north. It consisted of two separate two-runway airfields, built simultaneously just 4 km (2.5 mi) apart. Patterson Field in the south-east opened in 1942 despite being partly incomplete. It was named after a young pilot who died in Iceland. Meeks Field to the north-west opened on 23 March 1943, where the airport is still located today. It was named after another young pilot, George Meeks, who died on the Reykjavík airfield. Patterson Field was closed after the war, but Meeks Field and the adjoining structures were returned to Iceland's control and were renamed Naval Air Station Keflavik, named after the nearby town of Keflavík. In 1949, a passenger terminal was built by the Lockheed Overseas Aircraft Service. In its first years the passenger terminal was mostly used for troop transport as well as transatlantic technical stops; civilian airlines Icelandair and Loftleiðir were still based at the smaller Reykjavík Airport. In 1951, the U.S. military returned to the airport under a defence agreement between Iceland and the U.S. signed on 5 May 1951. Development since the 1960s[edit] The presence of foreign military forces in Iceland under the NATO-sponsored Iceland–U.S. Defense Agreement of 1951 was controversial in Iceland, which had no military forces other than the Icelandic Coast Guard. During the 1960s and 1970s, rallies were held to protest the U.S. military presence in Iceland (and in particular at Keflavík), and every year protesters walked the 50-kilometre (30 mi) road from Reykjavík to Keflavík and chanted "Ísland úr NATO, herinn burt" (literally: Iceland out of NATO, the military away). The protests were not effective. Transition of flights from Reykjavík[edit] Until the 1960s, the airlines Icelandair and Loftleiðir Icelandic were solely based at the smaller civilian Reykjavík Airport, which is situated within the city and did not have military access restrictions. Loftleiðir took delivery of its first Canadair CL-44 aircraft in 1964 and Icelandair took delivery of a Boeing 727 as Iceland's first jet aircraft in 1967. These new aircraft were considered too large for regular operation on the shorter runway at Reykjavík Airport. Both airlines began operations of their new larger aircraft from the longer runway at Keflavík Airport, greatly increasing the civilian passenger traffic through the Keflavík terminal. By the 1970s, almost all international traffic was moved to Keflavík, relegating Reykjavík Airport to serving domestic services and limited short-haul international traffic to Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The road from Reykjavík to Keflavík was newly rebuilt and paved by 1965 which greatly improved access to Keflavík Airport from the city. New passenger terminal[edit] The original Keflavík passenger terminal built in 1949 was located within the NASKEF military air base. Travellers therefore had to pass through military checkpoints to reach their flights. The situation of having to pass through a U.S. military base in order to access the passenger terminal remained unchanged as civilian passenger numbers increased and was not considered ideal. Subsequently, in April 1987 the Icelandic government finished construction of a relocated civilian terminal which was located on the north side of the airport. The new terminal had separate access from the military area and was accessible without passing through the military area. The new terminal was named after Leif Erikson who was the first European to arrive in North America (Flugstöð Leifs Eiríkssonar [is], "Leif Erikson Air Terminal"). Other history[edit] The two 3,000-metre-long (10,000 ft) and 60-metre-wide (200 ft) runways were large enough to support NASA's Space Shuttle as well as the Antonov An-225. On 29 June 1999, Concorde G-BOAA flew from Heathrow Airport to Reykjavík (Keflavik airport). The Concorde had been there earlier. Due to its location, the airport is also an important diversion landing site for large aircraft in transatlantic ETOPS operations. Since 2000[edit] The terminal was extended with the opening of the South Building in 2001, to comply with the requirements of the Schengen Agreement. The North Building was enlarged and finished in 2007. The United States military base, NASKEF, closed down in 2006 and was handed over to the Icelandic Government. The original Keflavík passenger terminal, built in 1949 and defunct since 1987, was demolished in 2018. In 2014, a high-speed airport rail link to Reykjavík was proposed, which would be Iceland's first passenger railway. As of 2023, proposals have not progressed past the planning phase but the route is safeguarded in local and airport masterplans. The airport was used as a hub by defunct airline WOW air (and earlier as Iceland Express) until it ceased operations on 28 March 2019. Similarly, it was the hub for the airline Play until they ceased operations on 29 September 2025 (2025-09-29) In September 2018, Atlantic Airways moved their operations from Reykjavík Airport to Keflavík Airport, as they transitioned to using Airbus A320 aircraft which are too large for Reykjavík Airport, having previously used Airbus A319 aircraft. Similarly, Icelandair moved all of their Greenland-bound flights from Reykjavík to Keflavík Airport in 2022, to allow easier onward connections. In 2012, 2016–2019 and 2023, Icelandair operated a domestic service to Akureyri Airport, only available for international connecting passengers. In 2016, the south terminal was expanded adding seven gates. The ramp area to the east of the airport was expanded in 2018, adding 13 remote stands. A new 1.2 km (0.75 mi) taxiway was constructed in 2023 by Isavia, which allows better aircraft traffic management at the airport. Expansion since 2022[edit] The airport's masterplan provides a phased approach to eventually accommodate 15 million passengers per year, including a third runway, along with new terminal piers and an airport city. A major expansion of the new eastern wing was opened in 2023–2025, increasing the terminal's total area by 30%, including an expanded arrivals hall including a new baggage reclaim hall, retail facilities, four new jet-bridge gates, two new remote-stand bus gates and new spaces for retail units, including a food hall. As of 2024, a 1,900-square-metre (20,000 sq ft) expansion of the south terminal is also under construction, on its east side.

Airlines and destinations

[edit] Passenger[edit] Although the population of Iceland is only about 400,000, there are scheduled flights to and from numerous locations across North America and Europe. The largest carrier operating out of Keflavik is Icelandair. The airport only handles international flights; domestic flights are operated from Reykjavík's domestic airport. The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter services to and from Keflavík: AirlinesDestinations Air Canada Seasonal: Montréal–Trudeau, Toronto–Pearson Air Greenland Nuuk Air Transat Seasonal: Montréal–Trudeau (begins 17 June 2026) airBaltic Riga Alaska Airlines Seasonal: Seattle/Tacoma Atlantic Airways Vágar Austrian Airlines Seasonal: Vienna British Airways London–Heathrow Delta Air Lines Seasonal: Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York–JFK Discover Airlines Munich easyJet Edinburgh, London–Luton, Manchester, Milan–Malpensa, Paris–Charles de Gaulle Seasonal: Basel/Mulhouse, Birmingham, Bristol, London–Gatwick, Lyon (begins 23 June 2026), Newcastle upon Tyne (begins 27 October 2026) Edelweiss Air Zürich Eurowings Seasonal: Düsseldorf Finnair Helsinki Iberia Express Seasonal: Madrid Icelandair Alicante, Amsterdam, Baltimore, Barcelona, Berlin, Boston, Brussels, Chicago–O'Hare, Copenhagen, Denver, Dublin, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Glasgow, Helsinki, Lisbon, London–Gatwick, London–Heathrow, Málaga, Manchester, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Munich, New York–JFK, Newark, Nuuk, Orlando, Oslo, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Prague, Raleigh/Durham, Rome–Fiumicino, Seattle/Tacoma, Stockholm–Arlanda, Tenerife–South, Toronto–Pearson, Vancouver, Washington–Dulles, Zürich Seasonal: Bergen, Billund, Faro, Geneva, Gothenburg, Gran Canaria, Halifax, Ilulissat, Innsbruck, Istanbul, Kulusuk, Miami Milan–Malpensa, Nashville, Nice, Pittsburgh, Portland (OR), Qaqortoq, Salzburg, Vágar, Venice, Verona Jet2.com Seasonal: Belfast–International, Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds/Bradford, Liverpool, London–Stansted, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne LOT Polish Airlines Warsaw–Chopin Lufthansa Frankfurt Neos Seasonal: Alicante, Málaga, Tenerife–South, Verona Norwegian Air Shuttle Seasonal: Oslo Scandinavian Airlines Copenhagen, OsloSeasonal: Stockholm–Arlanda Transavia Amsterdam, Paris–Orly TUI Airways Seasonal: London–Gatwick, Manchester United Airlines Seasonal: Chicago–O'Hare, Newark, Washington–Dulles Vueling Seasonal: Barcelona WestJet Seasonal: Calgary, Edmonton (begins 27 June 2026), Winnipeg (begins 28 June 2026) Wizz Air Budapest, Gdańsk, Katowice, Milan–Malpensa, Rome–Fiumicino, Warsaw–Chopin, Wrocław (begins 16 June 2026) Seasonal: Vilnius Cargo[edit] AirlinesDestinations AirExplore Billund Amerijet International Miami DHL Aviation[better source needed] Cologne/Bonn, East Midlands Icelandair Cargo Boston, Liège, Los Angeles, New York-JFK Silk Way West Airlines Baku, Chicago–O'Hare, Mexico City-AIFA Red for passenger destinations, blue for cargo-only destinations.

Keflavík International Airport

From Wikipedia

Introduction

History

Terminal

Airlines and destinations

Statistics

Ground transport

Accidents and incidents