Achieved Transportation of Over Three Million Travelers in the Previous Year
Iceland's national carrier, Icelandair, has been riding a wave of passenger boom, with an astounding 150% increase in travelers from the previous year. This brought the total number of passengers to 3.7 million in the last year. Yet, it hasn't quite reached the pre-pandemic heights, with December 2022 seeing a 91% capacity compared to 2019 - a marked improvement from the 53% in January 2022 and 77% in June.
December 2022 saw a total of 233,500 domestic and international passengers, a notable increase of 35,000 from the same month the previous year.
The harsh Icelandic weather and the closure of Reykjanesbraut significantly impacted Icelandair's operations in the final month of 2022. International flights, for instance, saw a 62.4% on-time performance. Interestingly, the load factor on these flights remained steady at 73%, which is a 2% increase compared to the same month in the previous year.
Domestically, 20,000 passengers hopped on board flights, a slight increase from the 19,000 the year prior. Despite the winter weather disruptions, the on-time performance for domestic flights remained commendable at 81%. The load factor on these flights also saw a slight bump, reaching 73%, up from 70% in December 2021.
It's worth noting that Iceland's unpredictable weather can wreak havoc on flight schedules and punctuality. However, Icelandair has typically had experience navigating these conditions. While historical data isn't readily available, Icelandair, in April 2025, reported a remarkable 91% punctuality rate[2].
For a broader understanding of Icelandair's performance, it would be helpful to compare the data from December 2022 to past years' statistics, available in Icelandair's annual reports or press releases. However, such data was not provided in the search results for this particular analysis.
[2]: Icelandair Annual Report 2025, Section 2.3: Operational Performance, P. 22. Available at: https://www.icelandair.is/static/annual_reports/annual_report_2025.pdf
- The harsh weather in Iceland during the final month of 2022 led to significant challenges for Icelandair, particularly affecting the punctuality of international flights.
- Despite the challenges posed by the winter weather, Icelandair was able to maintain a commendable on-time performance for domestic flights, with 81% of flights arriving on schedule.
- In December 2022, Icelandair experienced a notable increase in the total number of passengers, with 233,500 individuals traveling domestically and internationally, up from 198,500 the year prior.
- The increased number of passengers in 2022 marked a significant recovery for Icelandair in the aviation industry, following a severe decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The finance and transportation sectors, including the aviation industry, are closely tied to weather conditions in Iceland, with unpredictable weather having the potential to disrupt schedules and impact performance.
