Atlantica - Iceland Review

Isavia
Icelandic air traffic control area
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Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption
The Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption in the spring of 2010 had quite an impact
on Isavia staff’s workload. At first the eruption did not affect flights in
Iceland but affected flights in Europe severely as the ash cloud reached
Europe because of northerly winds. But in nine days, when winds started to
blow from the east, the airspace over Keflavík airport was also closed for a
total of 10 days. When the airport was closed, air traffic through the Icelandic
air traffic control area reached numbers no one had seen before. For several
days, a wall of ash was blown from the glacier in a southerly direction over
the North Atlantic. Consequently almost all flights between Europe and the
US passed through the Icelandic air traffic control area. During a four-day
period, the air traffic record for the area was broken four times. The first three
days after the eruption saw 758 flights within the control area, followed by
906, then 984. On day four, a total of 1,012 flights went across the region in
a 24-hour period—almost doubling the previous record of 576 aircraft, set
on July 1 in 2008.
Despite the heavy disruption to flight traffic during the height of the volcanic
eruption, an international airport was open at all times in Iceland, except
for just a few hours one day.
Winner of the Eagle Award in 2009
Isavia is a recognized member of the aviation world which was distinctly
demonstrated when the International Air Transport Association (IATA)
awarded it with the prestigious Eagle Award for the most improved air navigation
service provider of 2009. IATA presents this award annually to air
navigation and airport service providers.
It is a worthy recognition for outstanding services, financial and operational
progress, and in the opinion of IATA, Isavia is a leader in optimizing
efficiency and safety on flight paths over the North Atlantic and the North
Pole. In presenting the award, IATA acknowledged Isavia’s diligent work in
improving performance, implementing good cost-containment initiatives
and reducing charges. “Isavia has also played a key role in initiating significant
improvements to the changing structure in the North Atlantic airspace.
This is the kind of innovation we need in our partners,” said Giovanni
Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO.
Four international airports
In addition to controlling the Icelandic air traffic control area, Isavia also operates
all of Iceland’s state owned airports, with Keflavík International Airport
being the biggest. There are four international airports in Iceland: Akureyri,
Egilsstadir, Keflavík and Reykjavík where the bulk of all domestic flights go
through. Akureyri is located in the north, Egilsstadir in the east, and Keflavík
and Reykjavík are relatively close to one another in the south-west.
The best in Europe
Keflavík Airport was chosen the Best Airport in Europe in 2009 in a wide
ranging customer survey which was conducted in 140 airports around the
world, 48 of which were in Europe. The survey, carried out on behalf of the
Airports Council International, asked passengers for their views on the level
of quality of over 30 service factors. The results are published quarterly, followed
by an overall total for the year. Keflavík Airport has taken part in the
ACI surveys since 2004 and has regularly been among the top three European
airports. In 2004, Keflavík achieved third place internationally in the category
for airports handling less than five million passengers per year.
Last summer, eight airlines offered almost 200 scheduled and regular
charter flights per week during the high season at Keflavík Airport. Icelandair
was by far the most active airline, with flights to 27 destinations in Europe
and America. Iceland Express (Astraeus) and SAS also operate regular scheduled
services all year round to mainland Europe. Iceland Express (Astraeus)
also flies to the US. In addition, Lufthansa, Germanwings, Air Berlin and
Transavia flew regularly to and from Keflavík during the summer months.
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