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Icelandair has confirmed that it will no longer fly from Reykjavík’s Keflavik International Airport (KEF) to Nova Scotia’s Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ). It is turning into a bad week for YHZ, as WestJet has revealed that two routes to Europe will end. The cut comes a year after Icelandair announced the end of flights to Detroit.
The current environment, with the high cost of fuel, means that the tolerance of loss-making or marginal-performing routes has weakened, with more cuts inevitable. However, given WestJet’s confirmed smaller transatlantic network from YHZ, Icelandair’s decision to still end flights is perhaps extra intriguing.
Icelandair Removes All Future Flights To Halifax
Covering just 1,785 nautical miles (3,306 km) each way, KEF-YHZ was Icelandair’s shortest route to Canada or the US. OAG data shows that flights originally operated between 2007 and 2018, when the Boeing 757-200 was primarily deployed. The short route returned in May 2024 aboard the 160-seat 737 MAX 8, which is the carrier’s lowest-capacity jet equipment. The MAX 8 has been used ever since, which perhaps also speaks to the carrier’s performance at Nova Scotia’s busiest airport.
More than that, the frequency had fallen too, from three weekly departures in the peak summer of 2025 to just two in the same period in 2026. When seats for sale are considered, they were reduced annually. 18,880 were available in 2024, down to 13,120 in 2025 and 12,800 in 2026. In fairness, Icelandair’s total North American capacity was lower this year than last year.
The plan was for KEF-YHZ flights to return on June 3, 2027. They were to operate on Thursdays and Sundays, with the following schedule. That start date was about the same as in 2026 but two weeks earlier than in 2025.
KEF To YHZ; Local Times* | YHZ To KEF; Local Times** |
|---|---|
FI607: 6:35 PM-8:25 PM (4 hours and 50 minutes) | FI606: 9:25 PM-4:45 AM+1 (4 hours and 20 minutes) |
* In June 2027 | ** In June 2027 |
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Where Icelandair’s Halifax Passengers Went
Recall that Icelandair had 13,120 round-trip seats for sale between KEF and YHZ in 2025. Booking data via OAG Traffic Analyzer suggests that approximately 10,700 passengers were transported, for a load factor of 82%. As always, this says nothing of the fares needed to achieve that result. It is just one performance measure and should not be considered seriously without the wider picture.
Nearly six in ten passengers transited to another flight in KEF. Icelandair is, of course, set up for this connectivity, which is why services from YHZ were to arrive at the ungodly time of 4:45 AM after what is a comparatively short service. The top markets from YHZ were Oslo, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Munich, Berlin, Stockholm, Zurich, London, and Helsinki.
Half of those places have nonstop service: Amsterdam with WestJet, Frankfurt with Discover Airlines, London Heathrow with 
Air Canada (switching to the A321XLR), London Gatwick with WestJet, and Zurich with Edelweiss.
Almost four in ten passengers only flew to/from Iceland, and did not fly elsewhere. It is reasonable to assume that most of these people were Canadians visiting Iceland for tourism. Given that Iceland’s inflation is now at 6%, around double Canada’s current rate, the very beautiful place is even more expensive than ever to visit.
Icelandair Will Only Fly To Two Canadian Cities
The cessation of KEF-YHZ flights means that Icelandair only plans to fly to two Canadian airports in 2027. Looking at the peak summer, the carrier currently has scheduled 13 weekly departures to Toronto, all on the 737 MAX 8, along with six weekly flights to Vancouver, all on the A321LR. Compared to the peak summer in 2026, seats for sale to/from YYZ will be down by 4%, while YVR will be up by 17%.
Icelandair previously flew to Edmonton (2014-2020) and Montreal (2016-2020 and again in 2022). In the peak of 2027, KEF is due to have flights from Calgary with WestJet, Edmonton with WestJet (started in 2026), Montreal with Air Canada, Toronto with Air Canada and Icelandair, Vancouver with Icelandair, and Winnipeg with WestJet (launched in 2026). It is currently unclear if Air Transat, which began flying from Montreal to Iceland in 2026, will return next year.
