Transported Over 3.7 Million Travelers in the Previous Year
Iceland's leading airline, Icelandair, transported a whopping 3.7 million passengers in the most recent year, marking a gigantic 150% surge from the preceding year, when numbers stood at a mere 1.5 million. Despite significantly increasing capacity over the past year, the airline didn't quite reach the pre-Covid-19 pandemic levels. In December 2022, the airline managed 91% of its 2019 capacity compared to just 53% in January 2022 and 77% in June. The combined domestic and international passenger count in December amounted to 233,500, a substantial increase from the 168,500 seen in December 2021.
Weather Woes Impact Flight Schedules and Punctuality
As per recent reports, the frosty Icelandic climate and the shutdown of Reykjanesbraut played a significant role in disrupting Icelandair's schedule, punctuality, and seat usage last month. The on-time performance for international flights stood at 62.4%, while the load factor was 73%. Although the weather caused chaos, it's worth noting that these figures represented an improvement compared to December 2021, where on-time performance and load factor stood at 60.9% and 71%, respectively.
Domestic Voyages Remain Resilient
The count of passengers taking domestic flights remained fairly steady at 20,000, as compared to December 2021's 19,000. Despite experiencing significant weather disruptions during the month, Icelandair maintained an impressive on-time performance rate of 81%. The load factor for domestic flights also saw a slight increase, climbing to 73% from 70% seen in December 2021. Additionally, the number of sold block hours on charter flights swelled by 13%, with freight levels remaining more or less the same as in December 2021.
While specific data for weather disruptions in December 2022 is not available, there are certain factors that might influence flight operations in Iceland—namely, adverse weather conditions, volcanic eruptions, and their subsequent ash clouds. In these instances, it's plausible that flight disruptions, reduced punctuality, and a knock-on effect on seat usage could ensue. In summary, while December 2022's weather effects on Icelandair remained undocumented, it's no secret that Iceland's turbulent climate and volcanic activity can impinge upon flight operations.
- The frosty Icelandic climate and unexpected closure of Reykjanesbraut in December 2022 negatively impacted Icelandair's international flight schedule, punctuality, and seat usage, as compared to December 2021.
- Despite the weather disruptions, Icelandair managed to maintain an impressive on-time performance rate of 81% for domestic flights in December 2022, representing a slight increase from the previous year.
- The load factor for Icelandair's domestic flights also saw an improvement, rising to 73% in December 2022 from 70% in December 2021.
- The potential for future flight disruptions in Iceland remains, due to factors such as adverse weather conditions, volcanic eruptions, and ash clouds, which could cause reduced punctuality and seat usage.
