Tourism chief warns Icelandair strike could cost billions

Iceland’s director of tourism, Arnar Már Ólafsson, hopes an indefinite strike by Icelandair aircraft mechanics can be avoided, warning that tourism losses could reach billions of Icelandic krónur. He spoke to mbl.is about the planned action.

Unless an agreement is reached, the strike is due to begin at midnight on Tuesday night and affect Icelandair operations.

“This is obviously difficult for me, but I sincerely hope the parties involved reach an agreement and that the strike can be prevented,” Ólafsson said.

He said a strike would be bad for Icelandic tourism and society as a whole. “The industry’s loss of income is already considerable, and if there is a strike it will increase further and run into the billions,” he said.

The Icelandic Travel Industry Association has expressed serious concern about the planned strike’s possible effects. It has warned that losses could reach billions within just a few days, while damage to Iceland’s reputation as a reliable destination could last much longer.

“This is always a question of our image and credibility as a destination. If there is one thing the tourism industry needs, it is for people to be able to trust that the service they have purchased will be provided,” Ólafsson said.

Ólafsson was travelling to Nuuk in Greenland, where Vestnorden, an annual travel trade fair for Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, begins on Tuesday. He said many attendees would fly through Iceland with Icelandair and that many had return flights on Thursday.

“People are crossing their fingers that this strike will not happen,” he said.