There are 464 authorized airports in Iceland. It’s probably a number you didn’t count on, but Icelandic nature demands it, as many places are only accessible by boat or plane. There is no rail transport in Iceland, which contributes significantly to the increase in air transport. Of course, most airports are a different size to which we are used to, and air transport is provided by four major airports.
List of airports
There is no rail transport in Iceland and therefore Iceland has many airports.
Keflavík International Airport
KEF is the largest airport in Iceland and you will most likely arrive and depart from this airport during your visit. The airport is 45 minutes from central Reykjavik.
The area of the airport is 25 km2, there are 3 airport runways, a terminal and administrative buildings.
The airport was built in 1943 by the US military during World War II. There are currently over 20 airlines flying to Iceland. The estimated number of tourists in 2020 is 7 million. Despite the high number of tourists, Keflavík Airport is relatively small and cozy and waiting during check-in in the high season in 2017 was less than 10 minutes in 98% of cases.
If you buy alcohol and beer after landing, you will also save. As these items are much cheaper at the airport than in the country due to the high tax on alcohol.
Reykjavik Airport, domestic airport
RKV is the second largest airport and is only 2 km away from the city center, which means that you can easily do it on foot :). It is used for international transport only in case of bad weather, when it is not possible to land at Keflavík Airport. Flights from this airport fly daily to a smaller airport on the island, but it is also connected to the Faroe Islands and Greenland. This is good to keep in mind if you want to make your visit to Iceland more attractive and possibly look somewhere else.
Flights to Greenland are often affected by the weather and often delayed. Remember this when booking your ticket.
Egilsstaðir Airport, domestic airport
Air Iceland Connect is the only airline flying to this airport. The connection with the capital is several times a day.
Akureyri Airport, domestic airport
Even this airport is connected only by Air Iceland Connect. The flight from Reykjavik takes about 45-60 minutes and is available several times a day. In addition to the capital, you can also fly from here to Egilsstadir, Grímsey Island, Vopnafjörður, Þórshöfn.
