Icelandair launches inaugural Detroit service

An Icelandair Boeing 767 passes overhead.
tjdarmstadt, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Len Varley - Assistant Editor 4 Min Read
4 Min Read

Thursday, May 18 saw the official launch of Icelandair’s non-stop, seasonal service from Reykjavik, Iceland to Detroit.

Following yesterday’s inaugural flight the Icelandic carrier will operate the Detroit route four times a week on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday through until October 2023.

The flight time from Iceland to Detroit Metro Airport (DTW) is approximately six hours. Connections are available at Icelandair’s Keflavík hub to more than 25 destinations in Iceland, Greenland, the United Kingdom, Scandinavia and Continental Europe.

Icelandair passengers can also take a stopover in Iceland for up to 7 nights at no additional airfare, en route to their final destination.

“Icelandair is pleased to offer a refreshing new choice when travelling to Detroit. Our new flights will offer business and leisure travellers more options to and from Iceland and beyond” said Bogi Nils Bogason, president & CEO of Icelandair Group.

 “These new flights will open the doors for inbound and outbound travelers to make Detroit a relevant gateway in our network, boosting tourism and trade to and from the Motor City. We are excited to help bridge Motown with Europe and look forward to welcoming Detroit aboard.”

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Detroit Motor City


Detroit, the birthplace of auto manufacturing in the United States, is the second-largest regional economy in the American Midwest and home to the legendary Motown music scene.

According to a recent study from Airports Council International, Detroit Metro Airport is rated as the “Best Airport of 25 to 40 million passengers in North America,” an honor it shares with Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport.

DTW serves over 125 destinations and offers connections to passengers traveling through the Motor City.

“From Detroit Metropolitan Airport, our customers are just five and a half hours away from geothermal pools, stunning views of the northern lights, and active volcanoes,” said Chad Newton, CEO of the Wayne County Airport Authority.

“We’re ready to reintroduce the Midwest to Iceland. We believe nonstop flights to Iceland and the opportunity to connect to other cities throughout Europe are two more reasons travelers will choose DTW.”

Icelandair April performance


The inauguration of the Detroit service follows a month which is seen a healthy load capacity for the Icelandic carrier on its existing North American services. This perhaps holds further promise for the seasonal DTW flight service.

In April 2023, Icelandair‘s passengers were 296 thousand, compared to 242 thousand in April last year, an increase of 22%. Capacity in April was 17% higher than last year.

Passengers on international flights were 273 thousand, compared to 219 thousand in April 2022, an increase of 25%. Passengers to Iceland were 104 thousand and 53 thousand from Iceland. Via passengers were around 116 thousand.

On-time performance on international flights was 80%. The load factor on international flights was 83.4%, an increase of 7 ppt year-on-year, and a record load factor for April.

The load factor on North American routes was very strong, totalling 85.3%, and improved by 10.4 ppt compared to April last year.

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