Icelandair (FI, Reykjavik Keflavik) has announced that it will not resume services to Kansas City International, leaving the American airport with no direct European routes.
"Icelandair’s flight schedule for summer 2020 is currently under review with the aim to improve the profitability of the Company's route network and minimize risk in relation to the suspension of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. New gateways are being analysed but a decision has already been made to discontinue flights to San Francisco and Kansas City in the United States for commercial reasons," the Icelandic carrier said in a press release.
Icelandair launched 3x weekly services from Reykjavik Keflavik to Kansas City in May 2018. It suspended operations for the Winter 2018/19 season. It resumed them in the Summer 2019 season, operating 4x weekly until September 15, 2019. It used B757-200s to run the route.
Kansas City Airport Aviation Director Pat Klein said that the airport will now seek to attract European carriers to launch services to destinations such as London, Dublin, or Paris, where demand is the strongest.
The other cancelled route, to San Francisco, is currently served by Icelandair 3x weekly.
The Icelandic carrier is struggling to maintain its network, based around connecting primary and secondary cities in North America with Europe via Iceland, due to the grounding of the B737 MAX. According to the ch-aviation fleets module, Icelandair has five B737-8s and one B737-9 on the ground. The airline also operates twenty-four B757-200s, two B757-300s, and four B767-300(ER)s, as well as two B757-200(PF)s.
