Icelandair Grows North American Network With Nashville Addition

The airline plans to launch flights between Reykjavik Keflavik Airport and Nashville International Airport from May 16, operating four times per week using Boeing 737-8 aircraft. The seasonal route will be offered through October.

Nashville will become the 18th North American city served by Icelandair, with routes to 15 destinations in the U.S. and three in Canada. It will also become the sole nonstop connection between Nashville and Iceland.

“This new route not only enhances our international connectivity but also provides a new gateway to Europe, further meeting the needs of our business and leisure travelers,” says Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority President and CEO Doug Kreulen.

Nashville has just one nonstop route to Europe at present, with British Airways offering daily flights to London Heathrow Airport using 777 aircraft. The Oneworld alliance member launched the route in May 2018.

Icelandair President and CEO Bogi Nils Bogason says the addition of Reykjavik-Nashville will enable passengers from Tennessee to visit Iceland, as well as traveling to onward destinations in Europe served by the carrier. It plans to operate to 34 points in Europe during summer 2025.

Sabre Market Intelligence data shows that London was unsurprisingly the largest O&D market in Europe from Nashville during 2023, with 72,500 two-way passengers. Rome ranked second, followed by Dublin, Paris and Frankfurt. Overall O&D traffic between Nashville and Europe amounted to 416,000 two-way passengers.

Icelandair’s planned route expansion comes after the carrier signed a memorandum of understanding with Southwest Airlines to initiate a bilateral partnership in 2025, enabling passengers to connect between the two airlines’ networks. Icelandair will become Southwest’s first airline partner, with Baltimore-Washington being the initial North American gateway between the carriers.