An Icelandair De Havilland Canada DHC-8, higher often known as a Q400 or Sprint 8, taxies to the ramp in Akureyri, Iceland
Flying domestically in Iceland is like stepping again in time.
Safety? Not mandatory right here. Simply verify in in your flight on the ticket counter, look forward to the boarding name, and get on the airplane. No X-ray machines, no physique or iris scans, no checks for bottled liquids, and so on. Simply verify your huge luggage and stroll on board along with your carryons. A really civilized course of in an equally civilized nation.
Passengers disembark from an Icelandair 757 (TF-ISV) on the ramp at Akureyri, Iceland
Our flight was from Reykjavik Metropolis Airport, RKV, which is correct within the heart of the capital metropolis, flying to Akureyri within the north of the nation, 250km (155 statute miles) by air. The a lot bigger worldwide airport is 50km (30 statute miles) to the southeast, in Keflavik. We have been a gaggle of six; 5 of us from numerous media shops, and our very succesful and affected person Icelandair media wrangler.
Icelandair’s home route map is proven through the blue line – Picture: Icelandair
Icelandair has two 76-seat DHC-8-400s and three 37-seat DHC-8-200s in its fleet; they acquired them in March of 2021 when the airline bought Air Iceland Connect with create an built-in home/worldwide route system.
The ticketing space at Reykjavik airport
Our Jan. 28 flight from Reykjavik to Akureyri began out uneventfully sufficient. Our group received to the terminal about 35 minutes forward of our scheduled departure time, checked in, and waited to board. Boarding was delayed a bit, however we ultimately walked out to the airplane on the ramp and climbed on board.
Seat 1A on an Icelandair Sprint-8. My big digicam bag wouldn’t match within the overhead and there’s no under-seat storage in opposition to the entrance bulkhead, so I waited for a colleague to board and he kindly stowed it beneath his seat.
Boarding was a breeze. I had seat 1A. The airplane is configured for single-class economic system. Everybody received on, the door was closed, we acquired the usual security transient, after which we sat there. Finally the engines began. Quickly after, the pilot made an annoucement that there was an downside with an engine that upkeep wanted to verify, so the engines have been shut down. So we sat a bit longer and the engines have been restarted. Then promptly shut down. We have been advised the error gentle was nonetheless on, so we have been requested to deplane and return to the terminal.
Inside, we waited, and waited, and waited some extra, as one does in such conditions. Our flight was FI030, initially scheduled to depart at 9:30 am. As we received nearer to 11 am, it was annouced {that a} 757 was being introduced in from KEF and our flight could be mixed with the 11:30 am flight on a bigger airplane.
The optimistic flight board at RKV
Icelanders have a saying: þetta reddast. It roughly interprets into “it can all work out OK.”
In my expertise, many airways would have merely canceled the primary flight and tried to rebook everybody on subsequent scheduled flights. As a substitute, Icelandair pulled collectively a crew and an plane, ferried it to a different airport, and made issues occur.
So, not solely did I get to expertise a 45-minute Icelandic home flight, however I received the superior probability to fly on a 757 a technique, and return on a Sprint-8. þetta reddast, certainly.
Our 757 was TF-ISV, inbuilt 1999, and first delivered to Iberia. It was a standard-issue Icelandair 757, which was pressed into service for a number of home journeys earlier than resuming worldwide service.
The flight was so transient that we have been solely at cruise altitude for a couple of minutes, and there was no time or want for a cabin service.
Boarding our 757 at Reykjavik home airport
My reassigned seat was 24D, an aisle towards the again of the airplane. I’d been hoping for a window, however there have been a number of low clouds so the views would have been fleeting anyway. Plus, we have been truly in a position to go to Akureyri, so no complaints from me.
On board the 757
Ramp staff put together the airplane for departure
Love these Rolls Royce engines
It could be my first time to the northern a part of the nation, so I used to be fairly excited in regards to the journey, even when it was to be an abbreviated one.
Our first cease in Akureyri was the Icelandic Aviation Museum – it’s not large but it surely’s filled with historical past
We had lower than an hour to see the entire Icelandic Aviation Museum. Whereas not massive, it’s jammed filled with cool plane and artifacts – I positively didn’t get to see the whole lot. We have been advised {that a} new exhibit was within the works – an Icelandair 757 fuselage part could be put in inside close to the entry space; seems like I’ll must plan a return go to.
A Waco YKS-7, the identical mannequin as the primary plane operated by what would ultimately change into Icelandair
A Douglas C-47A Skytrain (aka DC-3) in Icelandair livery
A smaller mannequin of considered one of my very favourite passenger plane – a Boeing 727
After leaving the museum, Touring Viking excursions pulled collectively a last-minute van tour for for us; we had time for the fast drive as much as Goðafoss waterfall. We drove Route 1 through the difficult-to-pronounce, 7.6km lengthy, Vaðlaheiðargöng tunnel.
Goðafoss waterfall on the river Skjalfandafljot close to the small city of Fossholl
After a cold stroll close to the waterfall, it was time for a fast lunch on the reward store restaurant close by, then a splash again to Arureyri to catch out flight again to Reykjavik.
Our return flight was certainly on a Sprint-8. We have been on TF-FXA, which was inbuilt 2000 and first delivered to SAS Scandinavian Airways.
The boarding course of at Akureyri was as clean and easy as in Reykjavik; we received to the terminal about 40 minutes earlier than boarding time. We sat within the lounge, received a espresso on the nice little snack counter and watched an Icelandic Coast Guard helicopter depart on a patrol.
When the boarding name got here, all of us simply lined up, confirmed our tickets, and walked out to the ramp to board the flight. No safety screenings mandatory.
A moist ramp made for some nice photographs of our Sprint-8, TF-FXA, at Akureyri airport
Again residence, Alaska Airways has retired the final of its Sprint-8s in favor of Embraer 175s; it was an excellent alternative to have the ability to fly on one in scenic Iceland. The turboprop planes do really feel a bit dated in some regards… particularly relating to cabin storage. However the 2-2 seating format is nice, the seats themselves are snug, and the home windows afford nice views; I all the time take pleasure in flying on these plane.
Taxiing out from the terminal at Akureyri
The views on the climb out have been spectacular
We flew previous the long-lasting Harpa live performance corridor on quick closing to Reykjavik airport
The airplane dealt with the return flight like a champ; it all the time feels strong, even in turbulence, and the Icelandair pilots are properly used to the nation’s gusty winds and low visibility. The 45-minute return flight was at nightfall, making for some pretty views on the way in which again to Reykjavik. I’m already trying ahead to my subsequent journey.
Disclaimer: Our flights, lodging, and transportation have been paid for by Icelandair and different distributors. Our opinions stay our personal.
EDITOR-AT-LARGE / DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY – SEATTLE, WA Francis Zera is a Seattle-based architectural, aerial, aviation, and industrial photographer, a contract photojournalist, and a confirmed AvGeek.
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