The airline Eagle Air launches flights to the Westman Islands today and plans to fly to the islands two times a day, seven days a week henceforth. Jetstream 32 turbo jets which carry 19 passengers will be used for the flights.
The Westman Islands archipelago seen from Surtsey. Eyjafjallajökull glacier is in the background. Photo by Páll Stefánsson.
Eagle Air is taking over from Air Iceland, which has been responsible for flights to the Westman Islands until now, Morgunbladid reports.
“We are only doing it for market reasons. These flights are not subsidized by the state since this route is not sponsored by the state,” said Ásgeir Örn Thorsteinsson, the sales and marketing director of Eagle Air.
Eagle Air also offers scheduled flights to remote locations, such as Gjögur in the West Fjords’ Strandir region, which are state-sponsored.
Other Eagle Air destinations are Saudárkrókur in north Iceland, Höfn in southeast Iceland and Bíldudalur in the western West Fjords.
“But we decided to give it a try,” Thorsteinsson said of the Westman Islands route. “We believe this market is large enough for this to pay off.”
“Two flights per day is the predetermined schedule but we also have the opportunity to send more airplanes and increase flights if need be, for example, if groups have to be flown in,” Thorsteinsson added.
