Further changes to Icelandair’s flight schedule due to suspension of Boeing 737 MAX – 45 pilots dismissed

Icelandair has made changes to its flight schedule until 15 September 2019 as it is expected that the suspension of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft will last longer than anticipated.

To minimise the impact on its passengers, Icelandair has already added three leased aircraft to its fleet for the summer season. Furthermore, the Company is now working on the leasing of an additional Boeing 767-300 aircraft.

Icelandair will start implementing these changes in the next few days and Icelandair’s service representatives will contact the passengers affected.

With these changes, the total seat capacity from 15 July to 15 September will decrease by 5% from what the Company had estimated. However, following these changes the number of available seats during the period will still increase by 10% year-on-year. Icelandair’s emphasis will continue to remain on increasing the number of passengers to and from Iceland and as of today, the number of bookings by passengers travelling to Iceland during the period June-August has increased by over 30% compared to the same period last year.

The financial impact of the suspension of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft is uncertain as the amount of compensation from the aircraft manufacturer is still under review.

Icelandair dismisses 45 pilots

These include 21 newcomers who had begun working as pilots on the company’s Boeing 737 MAX aircraft this summer. The airline announced the dismissals at a training session with a group of pilots. Also, employment contracts were terminated with 24 pilots who began training on the MAX engines last fall.