Icelandair: Record September load factor as passenger numbers to Iceland increase by 7%
Icelandair's load factor in September was 84.9%, the highest ever recorded for the month. The Company carried 466 thousand passengers, 3% fewer than in September last year. Passenger distribution was as follows: 38% traveled to Iceland, 19% from Iceland, 38% were connecting passengers, and 5% traveled within Iceland.
The number of passengers traveling to Iceland increased by 7% year-on-year and by 11% from Iceland. At the same time, the number of connecting passengers decreased by 15% and domestic passengers by 7%.
Capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK), decreased by 8% year-on-year. Load factor was 84.9%, compared with 81.7% in September 2025, an increase of 3.2 percentage points. Yield increased by 14% to 10.30 US cents. On-time performance was 85.4%.
The decrease in connecting passengers reflects Icelandair's current focus on the markets to and from Iceland, with notably strong demand on routes to Southern Europe and Greenland. The decrease in the number of passengers within Iceland was due to necessary maintenance on one of the regional aircraft during the month.
Sold block hours in leasing operations increased by 6% and freight, measured in freight ton kilometers (FTK), increased by 14% year-on-year.
CO₂ emissions per operational ton kilometer (OTK) decreased by 5% between years. The improvement was driven by higher load factors, increased utilization of new-generation aircraft and continued operational efficiencies.
Bogi Nils Bogason, Icelandair President and CEO:
"We achieved a record load factor for the month, and the improved yield shows that our focus on travel to and from Iceland is delivering results. In September, we launched service to Gdansk, Poland, for the first time, and customer response has been very positive. I would like to thank our customers for their patience during the disruptions in September, both the temporary changes to our domestic schedule and the cancellations caused by industrial action on September 23rd.”
Contact information
Asdis Petursdottir, Director Communications. E-mail: asdis@icelandair.is