Icelandair Launches Istanbul Flights

Icelandair is expanding its reach by introducing new flights to Istanbul in 2025.

The announcement coincides with the airline’s ambition better to serve Turkey and its partnership with Turkish Airlines.

Thanks to its relationship with Turkish Airlines, travel is now easier for those flying on the initial Icelandair service to reach global markets.

Turkish Airlines is one of the largest airlines in the world. Its strong growth ambitions will elevate its already massive network, which Icelandair wants to take advantage of.

I look forward to adding the great destination of Istanbul to our extensive route network and to further expand the partnership with Turkish Airlines, opening convenient connections between Iceland and the east. In recent years, we have seen increased interest in travel between Asia and Iceland and with these new connections, we are further strengthening our sales and distribution network. We are excited to continue reinforcing our route network as well as connecting to exciting markets for our customers and tourism in Iceland.

Bogi Nils Bogason, President and CEO of Icelandair

The flight from Reykivak will operate to Istanbul for the first time on September 5, 2025, with a five-hour 30-minute flight time.

Icelandair will also operate the route four times a week to accommodate demand between the locations and customers’ desires to travel further through Turkish Airlines services.

That very Turkish Airlines partnership was first announced in the summer of 2023 and has since been pivotal for Icelandair for increased connectivity options.

The enhancement will be important for coordinating flights to more Middle Eastern and Asian cities that are outside Icelandair’s reach.

Furthermore, there’s a focus on Icelandair’s services Eastward to markets across North America, which remains a strong point for the business despite the competition.

Commencing service towards Istanbul is part of a fundamentally new era for the carrier, which is evident through its current fleet transformation.

That fleet transformation will see the Boeing 757 slowly depart the company and the transition towards its replacement, the A321neo programme through the LR and later, down the line, XLR, take shape.