Icelandair gives Pittsburgh a 2nd route to Europe

Icelandair is coming to Pittsburgh.

The carrier will begin flying from Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) on May 16, when it launches seasonal service to its hub at Keflavik International Airport (KEF) near Iceland's capital of Reykjavik. Icelandair will fly the route four days a week through the end of October on Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

Connections are available via KEF to numerous destinations in Europe, including London, Paris, Berlin and Madrid.

The route was announced as Icelandair rolled out its summer flight schedule. Also landing on Icelandair's route map: Halifax, Nova Scotia. The airline previously flew to the Canadian airport last decade but ended the service ahead of the 2019 summer schedule.

The additions of Pittsburgh and Halifax will give Icelandair 13 seasonal or year-round destinations in the U.S. and three in Canada.

For PIT, Icelandair brings a coveted second route to Europe.

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PIT was home to several high-profile transatlantic routes during its days as a major hub for US Airways (now part of American). They disappeared when US Airways dropped Pittsburgh as a hub in 2004, leading to a major contraction of flights at what was once one of the nation's busiest airports.

Since the mid-2010s, however, PIT has enjoyed a renaissance — reinventing itself as an airport focused on local traffic instead of connecting passengers. Restoring nonstop transatlantic service became a priority for the airport, and routes slowly began to return in the mid-2010s. This was punctuated by British Airways' return to PIT in 2019 with service to London.

The London flights had been the only European service to hold on at PIT following the pandemic's peak, but the new Reykjavik service gives Pittsburgh a second link. It also restores a route lost when now-defunct Icelandic discounter WOW Air left the market in 2019 amid broader financial troubles at the carrier.

"We're just delighted to have a major carrier that's been very successful in Europe for many, many years join us now in Pittsburgh," Allegheny County executive Rich Fitzgerald said in a statement. The airport is run by the county.

Next up for PIT: A gleaming $1 billion new terminal is expected to open in 2025.

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