Icelandair has announced the suspension of its route to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, effective from January 6, 2025. The decision reflects a broader trend of declining travel between Europe and the United States, despite the airline’s expansion efforts in other U.S. cities. Schedule filings to aviation analytics firm Cirium confirm that the route will no longer be available for booking, marking the end of a service that began as a seasonal offering in 2023.
The Detroit route was initially extended into the winter months for 2024 but will now conclude with its final flight in early January 2025. Icelandair, which utilized Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft for this route, previously aimed to cater to both business and leisure travelers. The service typically operated up to five times weekly during peak summer periods, reducing to three or four flights in winter.
Despite reasonable occupancy rates during the summer, the route struggled to match the performance of other destinations in Icelandair’s network. According to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Detroit ranked as the airline’s second-weakest route in 2024, just ahead of Pittsburgh, which only recently joined the network. The load factor for Detroit was around 74%, significantly lower than top-performing routes such as Minneapolis and Orlando, both of which exceeded 86%.
Performance Analysis and Future Prospects
While the Detroit route did show better performance during the summer, achieving occupancy rates above 80%, this was insufficient to offset weaker demand in winter. Passenger numbers for the route reached approximately 42,000 in 2024, highlighting the challenges faced in maintaining consistent load factors throughout the year.
Despite this setback, Icelandair is expanding its overall presence in the United States, projecting an increase of 8% year-on-year in seat capacity. This year, the airline anticipates offering over 1,000,000 seats each way to various U.S. destinations. New additions, such as flights to Nashville, have contributed to this growth, alongside frequency increases and the deployment of larger aircraft for popular routes like Orlando and Seattle.
The carrier’s long-term strategy includes the introduction of new destinations and the arrival of its first Airbus A321LR, as well as the anticipated delivery of Airbus A321XLRs. Icelandair’s North American Director has indicated that potential new routes are being considered, particularly in Texas and California.
Despite the discontinuation of the Detroit service, Icelandair’s commitment to expanding its network in the U.S. indicates a robust approach to navigating the evolving landscape of international air travel.
