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Keflavík Airport

    662 thousand guests in October

    We welcomed 662,783 guests at Keflavík Airport (KEF) in October 2026.
    3 min read

    Oct­o­ber 2026

    A total of 662,783 passengers travelled through Keflavík Airport last October, representing a 1.1% decrease compared to the same month last year. During the month, 25 airlines operated direct flights from KEF to 71 destinations. The busiest day was Sunday, 4 October, when 25,363 passengers travelled through the terminal in a single day.

    The most pop­u­lar dest­ina­tions in Oct­o­ber

    In October, 25 airlines operated direct flights from Keflavík Airport to 71 destinations. The most popular destinations during the month were Copenhagen, London and New York.

    According to the Icelandic Tourist Board, the number of foreign visitors travelling from Iceland increased slightly in October, while more Icelanders travelled abroad.

    Around 203,000 foreign passengers departed Iceland via Keflavík Airport in October, representing a 0.9% increase compared to the same month last year. US citizens accounted for the largest share of foreign departing passengers, making up almost a quarter of the total.

    The number of Icelandic passengers travelling abroad also increased compared to last year. Nearly 63,000 Icelanders travelled abroad in October, a 14.4% increase compared to October last year.

    Am­er­ic­ans the lar­gest group, while de­partu­res to Ch­ina see sign­if­ic­ant growth

    Americans were the largest group of foreign departing passengers in October. Around 48,000 US citizens departed Iceland, accounting for 23.9% of all foreign departures. This represents a 10.3% decrease compared to the same month last year.

    Chinese and British passengers followed, with approximately 21,500 departures each, accounting for 10.6% of the total apiece. However, the trends differed between the two groups: departures by Chinese passengers increased by 44.8% year-on-year, while departures by British passengers decreased by 6.7%.
    German passengers were next, accounting for 5.3% of the total, followed by Polish passengers (4.3%), Italians (4.1%), Canadians (3.8%), French passengers (3.1%), Taiwanese passengers (2.9%) and Spanish passengers (2.6%). Combined, the ten largest nationality groups accounted for 71.2% of all foreign departures in October.

    De­partu­res year to date

    During the first ten months of the year, from January to October, approximately two million foreign passengers departed Iceland via Keflavík Airport. This is 0.5% fewer than during the same period last year, meaning that the number of departures has remained relatively stable year-on-year.

    Departures by Icelandic passengers, however, have been lower so far this year. From January to October, approximately 556,000 Icelanders travelled abroad, representing a 7.2% decrease compared to the first ten months of last year.