In March 2018, Icelandair celebrated the arrival of its first Boeing 737 MAX. Today, the airline has eight 737 MAX 8s and four 737 MAX 9s in its fleet. As the type continues to grow its presence across operations, Simple Flying recently sat down with company CEO Bogi Nils Bogason to talk about opportunities with the aircraft.

Lots of activity

The Icelandic 737 MAX flagship has a busy summer schedule, being placed on 22 routes in mid-August. These single-aisle aircraft will mostly be seen on services to Boston and Copenhagen. Yet they will also be well spotted on the operator’s wider network.

The aircraft was deployed to Seattle and Portland on the West Coast of the United States. In practice, the positioning of Icelandair’s headquarters in Reykjavík-Keflavík and the MAX’s high range allow the carrier to reach many distant core markets on both sides of the Atlantic.

The 737 MAX flies 3,622 miles on its way to Seattle. During this time, he travels 3,534 miles on his mission to Orlando. So, in addition to Newark and Chicago, the Boeing jet covers a lot of ground.

Bogason points out that when his airline placed the initial order for the 737 MAX, his airline did not expect the plane to cover so much of its network.

The executive told Simple Flying the following:

“We thought the MAX would cover Europe and North American east coast destinations, but they exceeded our expectations in this regard. We use the MAX on routes like Orlando and Seattle.

The plane ventures to new heights with the airline. Photo: Icelandair

Growing prospects

In this time of recovery, the MAX has already helped Icelandair expand across the United States. Next month, the aircraft will be placed on routes to Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina.

The 737 MAX 8 will head to the new North American Gateway on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays starting May 12, offering a capacity of 160 seats on each service.

Overall, this new operation is a natural progression for Icelandair into this next chapter. The combination of aircraft type and destination location provides an excellent operational balance.

“We saw an opportunity when we started serving Raleigh-Durham. The MAX gave us the opportunity. In normal years, we are constantly analyzing new destinations. This year, Raleigh-Durham is our new addition to North America. It just ticked a lot of boxes. It serves all three markets quite well – to Iceland, from Iceland and via Iceland.

Bogason added that Raleigh-Durham doesn’t have much direct service to Europe. With a population of around two million and a catchment area of ​​six million, Icelandair can offer airport passengers convenient connections to more than 25 destinations in Europe via Iceland. Notably, Bogason expresses that “Icelandair will offer many of them the most convenient route to Europe”.

The carrier is proud of its role in connecting communities vis-à-vis its home. Photo: Icelandair

Emerging Markets

The airline believes there is a strong market in North Carolina. Since it started selling tickets, bookings have been strong. So, based on this experience, everything is going according to plan with the initiative. Like many other market segments in North America, Icelandair recognizes that North Carolina residents want to visit Iceland, which is generally a popular tourist destination.

Nonetheless, Bogason notes that the state is also a great destination for the Icelandic market. The Raleigh-Durham catchment area is home to a nascent tech industry and attracts students to its universities. So across the board, it’s a valuable addition to Icelandair’s network.

Overall, the 737 MAX is increasingly becoming an integral member of global fleets following its return to service. Icelandair concludes that the aircraft’s efficiency also significantly benefits the airline through reduced fuel consumption. So, as the aviation industry goes through a period of steady recovery as summer approaches, we can expect the aircraft to assert itself as a mainstay in several regions.

What do you think of Icelandair’s Boeing 737 MAX? What do you think of the aircraft’s progress in recent months? Let us know what you think in the comments section.

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