Icelandair to Suspend Detroit Airport Services
Icelandair has announced the suspension of its route to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, effective January 2026. This decision comes even as the airline is expanding its network in other parts of the United States. The final flight to Detroit is scheduled for January 6, 2025.
Service Details
- IATA Code: FI
- ICAO Code: ICE
- Airline Type: Full Service Carrier
The route, initially launched in 2023, was a seasonal service. It later extended beyond the summer, concluding in December for 2024 and 2025. Flights operated up to five times a week during peak summer months, scaling back to three or four times during winter, and were carried out using Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. This route was one of Icelandair’s longest with this aircraft type, taking about 6 hours and 25 minutes each way.
Reasons for Service Cessation
The airline’s decision to end service is partially attributed to lower load factors compared to other US destinations such as Minneapolis St-Paul, Orlando, and Seattle. While summer flights often exceeded an 80% occupancy rate, winter periods showed weaker performance. According to the US Department of Transportation for 2024, Detroit was Icelandair’s second-weakest route by load factors, only outperforming Pittsburgh.
| Destination | Average Load Factor | Passengers Carried Roundtrip |
|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis | 87% | 74,000 |
| Orlando | 86% | 47,000 |
| Seattle | 86% | 197,000 |
| Newark | 85% | 125,000 |
| Portland | 85% | 54,000 |
| Chicago | 85% | 142,000 |
| Denver | 85% | 97,000 |
| Raleigh-Durham | 84% | 77,000 |
| Washington | 83% | 129,000 |
| New York-JFK | 83% | 194,000 |
| Baltimore | 81% | 85,000 |
| Boston | 81% | 243,000 |
| Detroit | 79% | 42,000 |
| Pittsburgh | 74% | 22,000 |
Expansion Elsewhere
Despite the suspension in Detroit, Icelandair’s US operations overall are thriving. The airline announced plans to increase the number of seats to the United States by 8% year-on-year, reaching over one million seats each way for the first time. This growth is largely attributed to the introduction of Nashville to the network and increased flight frequencies, as well as larger aircraft utilization for routes like Orlando, Denver, and Seattle.
New services to Miami also add 5,000 seats each way. Future expansion is expected with the introduction of the Airbus A321LR and A321XLR aircraft in its fleet, potentially opening new routes to cities in Texas and California.
