Keflavík Airport handles 662,783 passengers in October as travel patterns shift across key markets
Between January and October, approximately two million foreign passengers departed Iceland through Keflavík Airport, representing a 0.5% decrease compared to the same period last year. This indicates relatively stable outbound travel among foreign visitors over the first ten months of the year.
A total of 662,783 passengers travelled through Keflavík International Airport (KEF) in October, representing a 1.1% decrease compared to the same month last year.
During the month, 25 airlines operated direct flights between Keflavík and 71 destinations. The busiest day was Sunday, 4 October, when 25,363 passengers travelled through the airport.
According to data from the Icelandic Tourist Board, the number of foreign passengers departing Iceland increased slightly in October, while outbound travel among Icelandic residents saw stronger growth.
Approximately 203,000 foreign passengers departed Iceland through Keflavík Airport during the month, a 0.9% increase year-on-year. US citizens represented the largest nationality group, accounting for almost a quarter of all foreign departures.
The number of Icelandic residents travelling abroad also increased, with nearly 63,000 departures recorded in October. This represents a 14.4% increase compared to October last year.
Americans remain the largest foreign passenger group, while Chinese departures surge
US citizens were the largest nationality group among foreign departing passengers in October, with approximately 48,000 departures, representing 23.9% of the total. However, this was a 10.3% decrease compared to the same month last year.
Chinese and British passengers were the next largest groups, with approximately 21,500 departures each, accounting for 10.6% apiece. Their respective year-on-year trends differed significantly: departures by Chinese passengers increased by 44.8%, while British departures declined by 6.7%.
German passengers accounted for 5.3% of foreign departures, followed by Polish passengers at 4.3%, Italian passengers at 4.1%, Canadians at 3.8%, French passengers at 3.1%, Taiwanese passengers at 2.9% and Spanish passengers at 2.6%.
Together, the ten largest nationality groups accounted for 71.2% of all foreign passenger departures from Iceland in October.
Year-to-date passenger trends
Between January and October, approximately two million foreign passengers departed Iceland through Keflavík Airport, representing a 0.5% decrease compared to the same period last year. This indicates relatively stable outbound travel among foreign visitors over the first ten months of the year.
Outbound travel among Icelandic residents followed a different trend. Approximately 556,000 Icelanders travelled abroad through Keflavík during the same period, a 7.2% decrease compared to January–October last year.