Boeing illustration showing what the Boeing 737 MAX will look like with Icelandair livery.
“This commitment is the result of our research into what aircraft manufacturers have on offer to help us strengthen and grow our fleet and our network towards the future,” said Bjorgolfur Johannsson, Icelandair Group president and CEO. “We have had a successful relationship with Boeing for decades and we are pleased to continue our cooperation for years to come.”
It appears that the airline will not be replacing their 757 fleet (although some of the older 757s will likely be rotated out of service) with the 737 MAX, but supplementing it.
Icelandair currently only operates the Boeing 757. Image by: Daniel Jones / djlpbb40.
“Over the past decades, Icelandair has successfully utilized its all-Boeing 757 fleet to establish its Reykjavik-based hub as an important gateway between Europe and North America,” said Todd Nelp, vice president of European Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “The introduction of the 737 MAX to Icelandair’s operation will complement its existing 757 fleet and ensure the carrier’s continued expansion across both continents, offering significant fuel saving with unrivaled passenger comfort.”
The Icelandair livery has always looked quite impressive on the Boeing 757 and I feel almost equally so on the MAX. One has to love those yellow nacelles.
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This story written by…
David Parker Brown, Editor & Founder. David started AirlineReporter.com in the summer of 2008, but has had a passion for aviation since he was a kid. Born and raised in the Seattle area (where he is currently based) has surely had an influence and he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else in the world. |
Has Iceland conveniently forgotten that it still owes Britain and the Netherlands about
US$5.5BILLION due to the Banking meltdown? Now the national airline wants to spend more money to buy aircraft when Iceland still has not paid back those countries those Billions? How can this be rational?
That is a bit unfair to the airline and country. Actually a lot unfair. The airline is not owned or operated by the government, so it really has nothing to do with the political money. It would be like blaming British Airways for something that the politicians in UK did. Totally unrelated.
David
G.Toney seems to be very badly informed. Iceland does not owe the Netherlands or the UK a single $. Some greedy investors in the UK and the Netherlands put there money in a accounts with a private bank hoping for some unrealistic returns on it. They lost on that gamble. The Icelandic government and the people of Iceland are not going to pick up the bill for that, just as they would not have had a share in the profits had the matter gone that way. The Icelandic FDIC and the fallen bank are in the process of paying in full the “legal” minimum on those accounts, although it is being debated whether it should be done. The laws that apply are far from clear in this case.
If G.Toney was one of the greedy ones maybe this has thought him a lesson, “if it is to good to be true, it probably is”
I know in these economically sensitive times that efficiency means everything, but icelandair’s staple, their trademark to be fair is the 757. It’s proof that the much under-appraicated jet can be extradionary. For me it’s the magic of the 757. The likes of Thompson are just confused on how to operate it but icelandair has nailed it. And when you look out the boarding gate and see the unique shape of the 757 there is an instant connection with Iceland. The 737max is just all about money, the sound of the engine and the quality of the plane is all weight, fuel and safety optimised. The 757 is what I call a real aircraft and Boeing really messed up their 757 orientated market by their ridiculous decision to cease production of the 757. So when icelandair obtains these fake money making planes such as the max or the even worse airbus then why not fly Iceland by wizz air or ‘any other airline’. Why fly icelandair’s 737 for 3 to 7 hours. It would be like flying westjet’s 737 over the Atlantic to Dublin. I urge icelandair to make the right decision and not populate it’s airline with any ould buses and plastic nonsense that look horrible anyways. Leave us something special, something loveable.
I believe ICE owns and operates a few 767 aircraft.