Air Iceland Connect: What Happened to the Icelandic Domestic Flights Brand

History and positioning

The 2017 rebranding aimed to increase the domestic carrier's international visibility and strengthen its commercial cooperation with Icelandair, of which it was already a subsidiary. The integration process, however, was completed in March 2021, when the group decided to unify sales and the passenger-facing brand under the single name Icelandair, keeping Air Iceland Connect as an internal operating certificate but eliminating its commercial presence. The decision came in a period of acute crisis for Icelandic air traffic, with an 83% drop in passengers in 2020.

The fleet

Operationally, Iceland's domestic connections continue to be flown with De Havilland Dash 8 turboprops, the same aircraft family already used under the Air Iceland Connect brand, suited to the shorter runways of Iceland's regional airports and to the country's often difficult weather conditions.

Routes and network

The routes historically operated by the brand — from Reykjavík to Akureyri, Egilsstaðir, Ísafjörður and the Westman Islands — remain active, but today they are booked directly through Icelandair's website and system, with no separate section devoted to the old brand.

Getting around today

For anyone planning a trip to Iceland with domestic stops, the most useful thing to know is simple: just search for domestic flights directly on the Icelandair website or app, with no need to look for a separate carrier that, as a public brand, has no longer been active since 2021.

Anyone planning a tour of Iceland with domestic stops to Akureyri or the Westman Islands does not need to look for a different website or carrier: the practical procedure is identical to booking any Icelandair flight. It makes no sense, on the other hand, to expect a product or price distinct from the main brand, because for all commercial purposes the separate brand no longer exists. A practical tip: if you are comparing Icelandic itineraries based on reviews or guides that still mention "Air Iceland Connect", bear in mind that they are content from before 2021 and always check current availability directly on the Icelandair channel.