Icelandair is to further expand its network in North America with the introduction of a new link between its Keflavik International Airport hub and Newark Liberty International Airport from the start of the Northern winter schedule in late October 2013. The new link will be operated on a four times weekly schedule and will supplement the carrier’s current schedule to New York John F Kennedy International.

The European carrier has been active in the New York market for over 60 years but its only port of call in the US city has been at JFK, a route it now serves on an up to ten times weekly schedule. The additional frequencies to Newark, which will commence from October 28, 2013 will enable the carrier to offer two daily flights to Europe from the New York area.

“We have recently managed to grow our New York traffic during the winter months, increasing the frequency to ten flights per week. With the addition of our Newark service we will be able to transfer some of this traffic to another airport which will result in more choice, added flexibility and increased options for flight connections for our passengers.”

Birkir Holm Gudnason
Chief Executive Officer, Icelandair

"We have recently managed to grow our New York traffic during the winter months, increasing the frequency to ten flights per week. In fact, three days of the week we had two flights taking off within minutes of each other. With the addition of our Newark service we will be able to transfer some of this traffic to another airport which will result in more choice, added flexibility and increased options for flight connections for our passengers,” said Birkir Holm Gudnason, chief executive officer, Icelandair.

Newark will be the 11th Icelandair gateway in North America and the 36th destination within its global route network. The airline’s 2013 schedule is the largest in its 76-year history and offers 15 per cent more seats than last year. Newark is the fourth destination that will be introduced this year joining Anchorage, Alaska; St. Petersburg, Russia and Zurich, Switzerland.

With only a small home market and limited growth potential, Icelandair’s business model has been focused on three key pillars: Iceland to/from Europe, Iceland to/from North America and transfer traffic between North America and Europe via its Keflavik International Airport base. The new Newark service will be scheduled to connect with the flows of flights to and from Icelandair’s gateways in Europe including cities like London, Paris and Copenhagen providing a new itinerary option for travellers which can include a stopover opportunity in Iceland. "These flights will both support our connecting flights across the Atlantic and the growing winter tourism industry in Iceland,” added Gudnason.