Air Iceland Connect, formerly Air Iceland (, ) is a regional airline, wholly owned by the Icelandair Group, operating all of Icelandair's Dash-8 aircraft under the Flugfélag ÃÂslands Air Operator's Certificate, using the brand name Icelandair.
Prior to 2021, Air Iceland Connect was operated as a separate brand and airline.
Air Iceland Connect can trace its history to 1937. On 3 June that year, Flugfélag Akureyrar was established; the airline changed its name to Flugfélag ÃÂslands on 13 March 1940, the third airline to bear this name. The first Flugfélag ÃÂslands was founded on 22 March 1919 and dissolved the following year. A second airline of the same name was founded on 1 May 1928 and operated until 1931. In 1973, Flugfélag ÃÂslands and Loftleiðir merged under the name Flugleiðir. Domestically it was called Flugleiðir, while internationally it was branded as Icelandair.
In Akureyri, Tryggvi Helgason founded the airline Norðurflug; it was incorporated on 1 May 1995 as Flugfélag Norðurlands. Subsequently, in 1997, Flugfélag Norðurlands merged with Flugleiðir's domestic operations under the previously used name Flugfélag ÃÂslands, branded as Air Iceland in English.
In 2000, Air Iceland's fleet consisted of three Fokker 50 aircraft which were acquired by Flugleiðir in 1992 and Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner in 1991, as well as De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft transferred from Flugfélag Norðurlands. In 2001, a fourth Fokker 50 was added to the fleet. At the time, its network consisted of flights from ReykjavÃÂk Airport to Akueyri, Egilsstaðir, Höfn, ÃÂsafjörður, Vestmanneyjar, Vágar, Kulusuk and Narsarsuaq as well as routes from Akureyri Airport to GrÃÂmsey, Vopnafjörður and ÃÂórshöfn.
The airline previously operated ATR 42 aircraft, wet leased from ÃÂslandsflug, from 2000 to 2003.
In 1995, then as Flugleiðir, the airline entered a partnership with Atlantic Airways of the Faroe Islands to supplement capacity on the Route Vágar-ReykjavÃÂk-Narsarsuaq using BAe 146 aircraft. In 2004, Air Iceland ceased operating their own flights to Vágar in the Faroe Islands but continued to sell seats in cooperation with Atlantic Airways.
In 2006, Flugfélag ÃÂslands introduced two Dash 8-100 aircraft into its fleet, replacing three Metroliner aircraft which were sold the same year. In 2006, the fleet consisted of six Fokker 50, two Dash 8-100 and two De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft.
In 2008, the airline sold off its two De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft to Norlandair, who also acquired the associated routes.
Air Iceland has served Kulusuk, Narsarsuaq and Constable Point since its establishment (and earlier as Flugleiðir). In 2007, Air Iceland expanded its Greenland network by introducing direct flights from KeflavÃÂk to Nuuk in Greenland, followed by Ilulissat the following year enabled by their newly acquired Dash 8 aircraft. In 2010, routes to Kulusuk, Nuuk and Constable Point became served year-round. Norlandair later acquired the route to Constable Point (Nerlerit Inaat). In 2016 and 2017, Air Iceland operated a route to Kangerlussuaq seasonally over the summer.
In late 2011, Flugfélag ÃÂslands acquired two Dash 8-200 aircraft for delivery in early 2012. Upon delivery of these aircraft, the airline sold its remaining Dash 8âÂÂ100 series aircraft (the other was written off). A fleet of three Dash 8-400 aircraft replaced the airline's five Fokker 50 aircraft in 2015âÂÂ16.
Services using the new aircraft included routes to Aberdeen which started in March 2016, and Belfast which began in June 2017, both flown out of KeflavÃÂk International Airport.In May 2017, Flugfélag ÃÂslands announced it had rebranded as Air Iceland Connect. ÃÂrni Gunnarsson, managing director of Air Iceland Connect, stated that the name change would help distinguish themselves from Icelandair and signify the airline's connection to Icelandic and international destinations. Dropping the Icelandic name resulted in complaints about the attack on the Icelandic language. In February 2018, Air Iceland Connect announced a strategy change by focusing on regional destinations. Therefore, flights to the Aberdeen and Belfast had been cut by 14 May 2018. In conjunction, one Dash 8-400 was sold.
In 2023, a De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 aircraft was added to the fleet, bringing the total number of Dash 8-400 aircraft to three again.
On 9 March 2021, Icelandair Group announced that Air Iceland Connect is to merge its sales operations with Icelandair by uniting domestic and international brands from 16 March 2021 and continuing the current flight operations under the Icelandair brand. The company Air Iceland Connect continues to operate domestic flights under its own Air Operator's Certificate and legal responsibility but using the Icelandair brand.
Air Iceland Connect operated to the following destinations under its own name, before the brand was integrated with Icelandair in March 2021.
Air Iceland Connect had codeshare agreements on flights to the Faroe Islands operated by Atlantic Airways, as well as on services to GrÃÂmsey, Thorshofn, Vopnafjörður and Nerlerit Inaat Airport operated by Norlandair.
, the Flugfélag ÃÂslands fleet consisted of the following aircraft, all of which now operate under the Icelandair brand:
Among the destinations, most in Greenland and some in Iceland have runways less than in length. The Q200 is the only aircraft type possessed by Air Iceland Connect compatible with such runways. Its retired fleet includes Fokker 50s.