Icelandair plans to cancel all flights if mechanics strike

Icelandair plans to cancel all departures from Keflavík Airport and Reykjavík Airport tomorrow morning if an aircraft mechanics’ strike goes ahead, mbl.is reports. The airline will make a final decision tonight, no later than when the strike begins at midnight.

The cancellations would affect more than 100 flights. Icelandair said the strike notice had already caused significant financial damage and affected passengers, tourism services and air freight.

The airline said the situation could disrupt imports of fresh produce and essential medicines, as well as exports of fresh fish.

Icelandair began offering passengers booked to travel on September 23 and 24 the option to change their itineraries. About 3,000 passengers have taken up the offer.

From this afternoon, the airline will begin rebooking passengers travelling from North America to Europe tonight with a connection in Iceland. Nearly 1,000 passengers will be placed on other airlines where capacity is available.

Icelandair said it would make decisions about further flights step by step after the decision on tomorrow’s services. It intends to announce cancellations at least four to six hours in advance, so passengers are not sent unnecessarily to the airport.

Passengers whose flights are cancelled will be entitled to rebooking or a refund. The airline will provide information about those rights in its communications with passengers.

Icelandair urged passengers to check that their contact details are correct in their bookings.

The airline operates an average of about 110 flights every 24 hours during this period, including around 20 domestic flights. About 15,000 passengers travel with Icelandair each day, including approximately 750 on domestic services.

Icelandair transported 38,000 tonnes of freight in 2025, including about 22,000 tonnes of fresh fish.