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Reykjavik Keflavík International Airport (KEF)

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Reykjavik Keflavík International Airport

KEF airport exterior shot, showing a modern glass terminal building lit up by colourful lights and LED's at night

Image Credit: ISAVIA

Reykjavik Keflavík International Airport (IATA code: KEF), also known as Reykjavík–Keflavík Airport, is the largest airport in Iceland. Most international journeys to or from Iceland pass through this airport; in fact, the airport is almost exclusively used for international flights. Most domestic flights use the smaller Reykjavík Airport, which is seperate to KEF and located 3 km (1.9 mi) from Reykjavík's city centre.

29 airlines fly to/from KEF, the main carrier being Icelandair, which uses the airport as its main hub. WOW Air was the second largest Icelandic carrier and provided numerous budget flights to/from Keflavík, until it ceased operations on 28 March 2019.

Expansion

Keflavik International Airport was built by the U.S. military during World War II. A new commercial terminal was developed in 1987, but to meet demand from a growing number of customers, the terminal building is being expanded. Expansion should be completed by 2022.

Interesting Fact: The main terminal building is named after Leif Erikson, the first European to arrive in North America.

Location

Keflavík International Airport is located 50km southwest of Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital city, and in the lava fields of the Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland’s south-westernmost region.

Facilities

Facilities Include:

Food and drink: Food options are available both Landside and Airside, and operate according to flight schedules. The 10/11 Convenience Shop, located Landside Arrivals/Departures, is a good option for snacks.

Duty Free Shopping: As well as Duty Free Iceland, there are a limited number of additional duty free shops located throughout the airport: 66°North, Airport Fashion, Blue Lagoon, Elko, Optical Studio, Penninn Eymundsson, Pure Food Hall, and the Rammagerdin Iceland Gift Store.

Wi-Fi: Complimentary Wi-Fi is available to all passengers within the terminal buildings.

Self-check-in: In the check-in hall, there are 50 self-check-in kiosks, which are open 24 hours a day. Passengers will only be able to check-in at least two and a half hours before departure.

Currency, tax refunds and banking: Arion Bank provides currency exchange and service points in the arrival and departure hall. It also has 14 cash machines (ATMs) in the terminal buildings.

Services for children: There is a children's play area by C gates in the South Building. Children can also pick up a free colouring book and crayons - just head to the information desk! There are also family washrooms on the 2nd level of the airport, and free strollers are available throughout the terminal.

Charging points: There are over 100 charging stations are available, located throughout the airport terminals.

KEF interior shot showing the main waiting area, with high roof and lit with blue and purple lights

The main airport waiting area. Image Credit: Wikipedia Commons

Lounges Include:

Icelandair Saga Lounge

Open daily from 5:30 AM to 5:30 PM. The lounge is accessible to Icelandair Saga Class and Economy Comfort flyers, Saga Gold and Silver members. Certain American Express, Mastercard, Alaska Airlines and Lufthansa Elite/Gold Status flyers are also permitted. The lounge features padded loungers, complimentary snack/drinks and showers.

Runways

Birds eye view of KEF showing two runways

Image Credit: Wikipedia Commons

The airport has two runways currently in use.

Terminals

The airport terminal is divided into two buildings: the main terminal building and a much smaller terminal building in the south. The smaller south terminal is used predominately used by Eagle Air.

The check-in area is located on Level 1, inside the terminal’s departure hall.

Airlines that fly to Reykjavik Keflavík International Airport

Icelandair

The largest carrier operating out of Keflavik is Icelandair, which uses the airport as a hub and flies to the following destinations:

Airline Destinations
Icelandair Regular Amsterdam, Bergen, Berlin–Tegel, Boston, Brussels, Chicago–O'Hare, Copenhagen, Denver, Dublin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Glasgow, Helsinki, London–Gatwick, London–Heathrow, Manchester, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Munich, New York–JFK, Newark, Orlando, Oslo–Gardermoen, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, San Francisco, Seattle/Tacoma, Stockholm–Arlanda, Toronto–Pearson, Vancouver, Washington–Dulles, Zürich
Icelandair Seasonal Anchorage, Billund, Edmonton, Geneva, Gothenburg, Hamburg, Kansas City, Madrid, Milan–Malpensa, Montréal–Trudeau, Philadelphia, Portland (OR)

Other airlines that fly to KEF

The following airlines operate regular scheduled flights to and from Keflavík, many of which are seasonal:

Airline Destinations
airBaltic Riga
Air Canada Rouge Seasonal: Montréal–Trudeau, Toronto–Pearson
Air Greenland Seasonal: Ilulissat, Kangerlussuaq, Nuuk
Air Iceland Connect Seasonal: Akureyri, Kangerlussuaq, Kulusuk
American Airlines Seasonal: Dallas/Fort Worth
Atlantic Airways Seasonal: Vágar
Austrian Airlines Seasonal: Vienna
British Airways London–Heathrow
Czech Airlines Seasonal: Prague
Delta Air Lines Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York–JFK
easyJet Edinburgh, London–Gatwick, London–Luton, Manchester
Seasonal: Belfast–International, Bristol, London–Stansted
easyJet Switzerland Seasonal: Basel/Mulhouse, Geneva
Edelweiss Air Zürich
Eurowings Seasonal: Cologne/Bonn, Hamburg
Finnair Helsinki
Iberia Express Madrid
Jet2.com Seasonal: Birmingham, East Midlands, Glasgow, Leeds/Bradford, Manchester, Newcastle
Lufthansa Frankfurt
Seasonal: Munich
Neos Seasonal: Alicante, Milan–Malpensa
Norwegian Air Shuttle Alicante, Barcelona, Gran Canaria (from 30 October 2019), Madrid, Oslo–Gardermoen, Tenerife–South (from 27 October 2019)
Seasonal: Bergen
S7 Airlines Seasonal: Moscow–Domodedovo
Scandinavian Airlines Copenhagen, Oslo–Gardermoen
Seasonal: Stockholm–Arlanda
Transavia Amsterdam
Transavia France Paris–Orly
TUI Airways Seasonal: Bristol, London–Gatwick, Manchester
United Airlines Seasonal: Newark
Vueling Seasonal: Barcelona
Wizz Air Budapest, Gdańsk, Katowice, Kraków (from 16 September 2019), London–Luton, Riga, Vienna, Vilnius, Warsaw–Chopin, Wrocław
S7 Airlines Seasonal: Moscow–Domodedovo
S7 Airlines Seasonal: Moscow–Domodedovo

Top Destinations

International Destinations

It is predominately international flights that operate from KEF. The most popular routes are:

Rank Destination Passengers Airlines
1 Copenhagen 582,199 Icelandair, SAS
2 London–Gatwick 467,032 easyJet, Icelandair, Norwegian, TUI Airways
3 Amsterdam 449,590 Icelandair, Transavia
4 Paris–Charles de Gaulle 443,312 Icelandair
5 London–Heathrow 378,029 British Airways, Icelandair

How to get to Reykjavik Keflavík International Airport

Transport between the KEF and downtown Reykjavik is a 50 kilometres (31 mi) journey along Route 41. The following options are available:

By Bus

The Flybus can be picked up just outside the main terminal building and leaves every 40 mins (approx) - exact times can be found on the terminal screens inside the terminal, where there is also a Flybus information desk. The company also provides connections from your hotel back to the airport, which can be arranged in your hotel.

The Airport Direct service provides transfers to the city centre and operates 24 hours a day. A private mini-van door-to-door service is also available to transfer up to 8 people.

By Car Rental

There are a number of car-hire companies located on-site: Avis, Budget, Hertz and Europcar (Bilaleiga Akureyrar).

By Taxi

Taxis can be picked up outside the main terminal building.