RDU Lands a New Airline and a New International Route, with Connections to Europe

Dec. 16—Triangle residents will soon be able to fly nonstop to Iceland from Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

Icelandair will begin flying to Reykjavik four times a week beginning May 12, 2022. The seasonal service will continue through October.

Iceland is a popular tourist destination but also serves as a midway point for people traveling to Europe. RDU once had nonstop flights to London and Paris, but those have been suspended during the coronavirus pandemic.

"This exciting announcement signals that demand for international travel is increasing as we head into the new year and a new phase of recovery," Michael Landguth, RDU's president and CEO, said in a statement Thursday. " Icelandair will help meet that growing demand by offering leisure and business travelers nonstop service to a new destination and global connections to major cities on both sides of the Atlantic."

Icelandair allows travelers to spend up to seven days on a layover on the island without paying a fee.

"We are excited to add Raleigh-Durham to our extensive route network, offering non-stop flights from North Carolina to Iceland with convenient connections to our many destinations in Europe," Bogi Nils Bogason, the airline's president and CEO, said in a statement. " North Carolina is an exciting new destination for our local market, to visit as a tourist or in relation to the world class university community and the strong high-tech industry."

The service to Reykjavik is the first new route RDU has secured under a new program designed to recruit more international flights. The program waives several airline fees, up to $250,000 a year per route for two years, and provides an additional $25,000 to promote a new flight. The incentives apply to nonstop flights of at least 1,611 miles,

The Iceland flight is the first new international route added at RDU since 2019, when Air Canada launched service to Montreal. Icelandair will become RDU's 12th airline.

This story was originally published December 16, 2021 11:43 AM.

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