New flights between the Czech Republic and Iceland and the importance of tourism for the renewal of Icelandic economy
10.07.2017 / 15:28 | Aktualizováno: 10.07.2017 / 15:42
(This article expired 01.11.2017 / 01:00.)
From early June 2017, two airlines based in Prague launched new service to the Icelandic hub airport at Keflavik. It is for the first time that a regular air bridge exists between the Czech Republic and Iceland, with flight times under four hours. Czech Airlines (OK) aircraft leave Prague on late evenings of Monday and Thursday, while the Wizz Air Hungary (W6) flights are operated on Wednesdays and Sundays. The available seat capacity between the Czech Republic and Iceland allows to transport over 5.6 thousand passengers per month non-stop.
Timetable Summer 2017
| Prague (PRG) to Keflavik (KEF) | Keflavik (KEF) to Prague (PRG) | ||||||
| Frequency | Flight no. |
Dep. |
Arr. KEF |
Frequency | Flight no. | Dep. KEF |
Arr. PRG |
| Wednesday, Sunday | W6 2723 | 06.30 | 08.40 | Tuesday, Friday | OK 461 | 00.40 | 06.25 |
| Monday, Thursday | OK 460 | 21.55 | 23.50 | Wednesday, Sunday | W6 2724 | 09.20 | 15.05 |
Airlines in the Czech Republic also wish to benefit from the strong interest of tourists in Iceland, echoing the fact that tourism has become the main pillar of growth for the Icelandic economy: The GDP grew by 7.2 percent in 2016 alone. In 2017, some 2.2-2.4 million tourists are expected in Iceland (compare with 1.8 million in 2016), spending around 500 billion ISK during their stay. The forecast from 2015 anticipated that the 2 million limit will not be reached before 2020.
However, the rising consumer prices in Iceland shorten the duration of tourists’ stays. While an average stay in Iceland lasted 4.5 nights in 2015, it decreased to 3.8 nights in 2016. The tour package prices in Iceland have increased by 20 to 30 percent in 2016, even though the inflation was just 2 per cent.
The opinion poll from April 2017 indicates that 47 per cent of Icelanders would prefer an annual quota on the maximum number of arriving tourists. Half of the responders would welcome an arrival tax. Icelanders worry the most that the mass tourism will leave a negative impact on nature and infrastructure (roads, hotel accommodation shortage, wage dumping), and that the expansion of the Keflavik Airport, both in terms of area and capacity, will have adverse effects.