Keflavík

[Porrohman]

A number of new LoCo routes between the UK and KEF have started recently and more look set to follow.

If KEF becomes unavailable for any reason and a flight needs to divert then there are, as far as I know, three other airfields in Iceland that could accept a B733, A319 and similar aircraft (i.e. Reykjavík, Akureyri and Egilsstaðir). If these airports are also unavailable (I'm not sure how often this happens) then, until the runway at Vagar (Faroe Islands) was extended in December 2011, the next nearest diversionary airport would likely have been in the UK or Norway depending on winds. The extra fuel needed for such a long diversion would have been very significant, perhaps to the point of making the route commercially unattractive with a B733 / A319.

Has the recently completed runway extension at Vagar (and therefore the possibility of using it as a diversionary airfield) helped to facilitate the introduction of new LoCo routes between the UK and KEF? Or is it so rare for the four Icelandic airfields to be unavailable at the same time that this is not a particular operational concern for these airlines?

[BusBoy]

On the occasions that I have been the alternates were EGPD, EGPF

[BOAC]

Reykjavík - a bit on the short side. Astraeus nominated it as the Captains Only 'crash' div, when I started there in 2004 but subsequently declared it 'too short'.

Akureyri requires special briefing,- it used to be Cat B by day and Cat C by night which can be limiting for crewing.

Egilsstaðir fairly straightforward.

Both A LONG way from Reykjavik - many hours by road. Both generally will not have the same weather as KEF

Vagar - turbulence was, I recall, the major problem there is terms of 'reliability' of usage as a div. with Iceland and Scandinavia used as alternates.

When wx was 'bad' in KEF, generally UK north was used as an alternate with a PNR and decision normally being made at or shortly after ToD. Fuel for EGPF/EGPD from G/A was excessive.

Things only went adrift occasionally:)

[Wycombe]

FI have operated 75's at Reykjavik, so find it hard to believe it is a "crash-only" div for 73's and small Airbii?

[onyxcrowle]

Sorry to bump an old thread , Now that Vagar is extended what can it take up to in terms of aircraft ? An Airbus 320? Boeing 737-800 / 757?
Also wasnt Stornoway EGPO a diversion airport aswell ? Just that I read that a Lufthansa 747 Diverted there once , Also I think Ryanair had spoken of offering flights from there ...

[BOAC]

Wycombe - if you look at the map you will see it is relatively close to KEF and thus not 100% reliable for a weather alternate eg heavy snow, although the weather on each side of the bay can be quite different depending on wind - it is that, not the LDA, that made it so. It was regularly used in good weather as the No1 alternate 'in the old days' (2003-5'ish). Having said that, by the time the 737 went back in ?2008?, one of the glitterati in Astraeus had declared it 'too short' for 737s. Before that we did actually occasionally use it for planned movements. It was fine. I have no idea what the Astraeus 757s were using until then. Incidentally, I believe the 757 is a better 'stopper' than a 737?

[onyxcrowle]

Thank you for the reply ! It looks kike an amazung place to visit . I wonder if EZY will add Vagar to their new nothern destinations .

[BOAC]

Onyx - I know Atlantic have operated a service there with an A319 so I guess they could, but whether it was profitable................. Vagar is now just a smidge under 1800m.

[750XL]

Doubt anyone will operate into Vagar other than Atlantic Airways any time soon.

While there is a tourism market, it's fairly small in comparison to other places and there isn't the numbers that airlines like Easyjet require. I was in the Faroes last month and flew there on Atlantic on their 2 x weekly LGW service, there was only 26 pax on the outbound and 50 odd on the return (numbers were helped by football).

Faroes aren't massively expensive to get to from the UK direct in the summer from LGW or via CPH on SAS/FLI

[Liobian]

Not aware that a 747 ever made it safely into Stornoway - would likely be unable to turn around if it did- but they have had an A310 and (I believe) a B767 there.
MoD improvements in the 1980s were supposedly to accommodate Tristar tankers but they never appeared AFAIK.
The limited opening hours at Stornoway might also be a problem when deciding upon diversion airfields - Inverness and Aberdeen score higher on that basis.