Cardiff Airport has secured a new route to Iceland, which also provides onward connections to several North American cities. Icelandic budget airline PLAY is set to operate flights from the Welsh Government-owned Cardiff Airport to Keflavik Airport in Reykjavik.
This marks the inaugural direct service between Wales and Iceland and will commence on October 10, continuing until November 20.
PLAY will offer two weekly flights during this six-week period, utilising a 180-seat Airbus A320neo aircraft. Fares for these flights have been released, starting at £59 for a one-way ticket.
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Additionally, PLAY is extending its services to include connecting flights to North American destinations such as New York (Stewart Airport), Boston, Washington Dulles, and Toronto.
The flight schedule primarily includes Mondays and Fridays, with an exception for the first week featuring Thursday and Sunday flights. In the final week, flights will adjust to Tuesday and Wednesday to align with the Uefa Nation League matches between Wales and Iceland, reports .
Einar Orn Olafsson, the CEO of PLAY, commented: "Our new route from Cardiff to Iceland is the first direct flight between the two destinations. Not only does this mark a milestone for Play, but also opens up exciting possibilities for customers wanting to travel to the US and Canada at affordable prices."
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PLAY, the Icelandic low-cost carrier, is capitalising on the upcoming Nations League football match between Iceland and Wales to entice families and enthusiastic football fans alike. The company's representative stated: "Our new Cardiff route is ideal for families seeking to explore all that Iceland has to offer during the school half-term, as well as enthusiastic football fans eager to watch Iceland v Wales in the upcoming Nations League later this year."
However, it was also confirmed that there are no current plans to make the route a permanent one The route, while welcomed, will only have a small impact on the Rhoose-based airport’s overall passenger numbers this year.
Speaking recently its chief executive, Spencer Birns, said: “I think we are going to probably be short of a million in 2024, as we don’t have the capacity online yet. However, if we can convince more airlines to add more capacity later in the summer and early in the winter that will give us the boost we need that will get us close to it.”