Icelandair cancels all morning flights as mechanics’ strike begins

Icelandair has cancelled all morning domestic and international flights after a strike by the airline’s mechanics began at midnight, mbl.is reports.

The cancellations cover 26 round-trip flights from Keflavík Airport to Europe and five domestic round-trip flights from Reykjavík Airport, affecting nearly 5,500 passengers, Icelandair said.

The airline is working to rebook passengers and urged them to monitor updates and ensure their contact details are correct. Afternoon flights are also expected to be cancelled unless circumstances change.

The strike has no set end date. Up to 100 scheduled flights could be affected each day until an agreement is reached or the action is otherwise stopped.

Ásdís Ýr Pétursdóttir, an Icelandair communications officer, said decisions to cancel the morning flights were made shortly after 11 p.m. The airline will make further decisions step by step, giving passengers at least four to six hours’ notice so they do not travel unnecessarily to the airport.

The Icelandic Aircraft Engineers Association has not yet issued a statement, and the authorities have not said whether they intend to intervene.

Icelandair passengers travelling abroad by another airline and returning to Iceland with Icelandair have been asked to notify the company before their outbound flight. This is intended to prevent their return ticket from being automatically cancelled.

The consequences and duration of the strike remain unclear. The tourism industry has already reported changes in booking behaviour, and the Icelandic Travel Industry Association estimates that losses could reach billions of Icelandic króna within a few days.