Published on
November 1, 2025
A severe disruption to domestic air travel has left hundreds of travelers abandoned across Iceland on 31st October, 2025. This startling headline summarizes a day of operational failure. Passengers in major regional centers like Reykjavik, Egilsstaðir, Akureyri, Ísafjörður and Höfn were the most impacted. They faced a crisis when twenty cancellations were issued by Air Iceland Connect. This sudden suspension of service paralyzed the carrier’s domestic network. Consequently, vital connections between the capital and the country’s regions were severed. This operational collapse, compounded by two delays, caused widespread travel interruption.
A substantial twenty flights, all operating under the “Faxi” (FXI) identifier, were cancelled. These grounded services of Air Iceland Connect included routes utilizing both the De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 (DH8D) and the smaller Dash 8-200 (DH8B) aircraft types, which are typically used for short-haul regional travel.
The cancellations commenced early on the affected Friday, with the initial grounded flight, FXI60, scheduled to depart Reykjavik (RKV) for Egilsstaðir (EGS) at 07:40 AM GMT. Disruption was noted throughout the day, extending into the evening as the final cancelled flight, FXI71, was scheduled for a 07:40 PM GMT departure from Egilsstaðir (EGS) to Reykjavik (RKV). The pattern of cancellations clearly indicates a systemic disruption across the entire daily schedule, affecting both morning and late-day operations.IdentTypeOriginDestinationScheduled Departure TimeFXI60DH8DReykjavik (RKV / BIRK)Egilsstaðir (EGS / BIEG)Fri 07:40AM GMTFXI61DH8DEgilsstaðir (EGS / BIEG)Reykjavik (RKV / BIRK)Fri 09:15AM GMTFXI16DH8BReykjavik (RKV / BIRK)Isafjordur (IFJ / BIIS)Fri 09:52AM GMTFXI34DH8DReykjavik (RKV / BIRK)Akureyri (AEY / BIAR)Fri 10:02AM GMTFXI17DH8BIsafjordur (IFJ / BIIS)Reykjavik (RKV / BIRK)Fri 11:02AM GMTFXI35DH8DAkureyri (AEY / BIAR)Reykjavik (RKV / BIRK)Fri 11:17AM GMTFXI38DH8DReykjavik (RKV / BIRK)Akureyri (AEY / BIAR)Fri 12:47PM GMTFXI76DH8BReykjavik (RKV / BIRK)Hornafjordur (HFN / BIHN)Fri 01:49PM GMTFXI39DH8DAkureyri (AEY / BIAR)Reykjavik (RKV / BIRK)Fri 02:02PM GMTFXI66DH8DReykjavik (RKV / BIRK)Egilsstaðir (EGS / BIEG)Fri 02:40PM GMTFXI77DH8BHornafjordur (HFN / BIHN)Reykjavik (RKV / BIRK)Fri 03:10PM GMTFXI26DH8BReykjavik (RKV / BIRK)Isafjordur (IFJ / BIIS)Fri 03:22PM GMTFXI46DH8DReykjavik (RKV / BIRK)Akureyri (AEY / BIAR)Fri 03:37PM GMTFXI67DH8DEgilsstaðir (EGS / BIEG)Reykjavik (RKV / BIRK)Fri 04:15PM GMTFXI27DH8BIsafjordur (IFJ / BIIS)Reykjavik (RKV / BIRK)Fri 04:32PM GMTFXI47DH8DAkureyri (AEY / BIAR)Reykjavik (RKV / BIRK)Fri 04:52PM GMTFXI70DH8DReykjavik (RKV / BIRK)Egilsstaðir (EGS / BIEG)Fri 06:05PM GMTFXI50DH8DReykjavik (RKV / BIRK)Akureyri (AEY / BIAR)Fri 06:22PM GMTFXI51DH8DAkureyri (AEY / BIAR)Reykjavik (RKV / BIRK)Fri 07:37PM GMTFXI71DH8DEgilsstaðir (EGS / BIEG)Reykjavik (RKV / BIRK)Fri 07:40PM GMT
The flight cancellations were concentrated across five vital domestic air routes, with service in both directions being halted for the entire day. The routes impacted by the twenty cancellations are itemized below:
Reykjavik (RKV)-Egilsstaðir (EGS): Four round-trip services were cancelled (FXI60, FXI61, FXI66, FXI67, FXI70, FXI71), resulting in six grounded flights.Reykjavik (RKV)-Akureyri (AEY): Four round-trip services were cancelled (FXI34, FXI35, FXI38, FXI39, FXI46, FXI47, FXI50, FXI51), accounting for eight grounded flights.Reykjavik (RKV)-Ísafjörður (IFJ): Two round-trip services were cancelled (FXI16, FXI17, FXI26, FXI27), resulting in four grounded flights.Reykjavik (RKV)-Hornafjörður (HFN): One round-trip service was cancelled (FXI76, FXI77), resulting in two grounded flights.
The most heavily affected route, by volume of cancellations, was the connection between Reykjavik and Akureyri, where eight flights were grounded.
Delays
In addition to the twenty cancellations by Air Iceland Connect, the operational report indicates that two flights were recorded as delayed. The total disruption metric for Air Iceland Connect, encompassing both cancellations and delays, reached twenty-two incidents. The recorded percentage of delays stands at 9%.
Five airports in Iceland were directly impacted by the twenty cancellations. The full names and corresponding IATA codes of these facilities are provided:
Reykjavik Airport (RKV), which serves as the hub for the carrier’s domestic network, was the origination or destination point for all twenty grounded flights.
The country affected by this significant operational disruption is Iceland. The consequences of twenty cancellations on the domestic routes are likely to be absorbed by Iceland’s regional tourism sector. Air travel is widely utilized for accessing remote regional hubs like Egilsstaðir (EGS), Ísafjörður (IFJ) and Hornafjörður (HFN), where road travel can be lengthy or challenging. The grounding of numerous flights on the Akureyri (AEY) route, which services the second-largest urban area, is expected to have further compounded the issue. It must be noted that for passengers using Reykjavik (RKV) for an onward connection to the regional destinations, the disruption may have resulted in forced changes to local travel plans, which could lead to reduced bookings for local accommodations and tour operators in the affected towns. The reliance on seamless air connectivity for inbound international tourists transferring to domestic locations means the interruption has a tangible, albeit unquantified, effect on the country’s travel infrastructure.
Passengers whose travel plans have been compromised by cancellations are strongly advised to initiate contact with Air Iceland Connect immediately. Rebooking onto the next available flight is the primary course of action that must be pursued. Depending on the carrier’s policy and local regulations, alternative transport arrangements may need to be secured, or a full refund for the unused service may be requested. All travelers affected by the operational disruptions are encouraged to retain all documentation related to their original flight booking.
-The information provided is sourced from FlightAware.
