Icelandair Expands Network Eastward, Plans A321LR Debut

Icelandair will expand its network further east next summer with the launch of a new route to Istanbul.

Starting Sept. 5, 2025, the airline will operate four flights per week between Reykjavik Keflavik Airport (KEF) and Istanbul Airport (IST) using Boeing 737-8 aircraft. The flight time will be about 5 hrs. and 30 mins.

Istanbul will become Icelandair’s easternmost destination, owing to the continued suspension of its Tel Aviv service, which last operated in October 2023. The route was halted following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.

Additionally, the airline has confirmed it will expand its codeshare partnership with Turkish Airlines, first announced in summer 2023. Icelandair says the schedule of the new route to IST has been “specially coordinated to align with Turkish Airlines flights to and from Asia and the Middle East.”

“In recent years, we have seen increased interest in travel between Asia and Iceland and with these new connections, we are further strengthening our sales and distribution network,” says Icelandair President and CEO Bogi Nils Bogason.

Currently, there are no nonstop flights between Iceland and Turkey, OAG Schedules Analyser data shows. However, Icelandic LCC Play plans to introduce a weekly service between KEF and Antalya during the summer of 2025.

Icelandair’s latest network expansion comes as the carrier prepares to debut its first Airbus A321LR aircraft. The airline intends to commence operations using the aircraft type on Dec. 10, offering flights from KEF to both Copenhagen Airport and Stockholm Arlanda Airport.

A321LR service to London Heathrow Airport starts on Dec. 23, followed by flights to Oslo Airport the next day. The carrier’s inaugural North American flights using the aircraft are expected from May 2025 with operations to Seattle and Toronto.