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Keflavik International Airport (KEF): flight delays and compensation

Keflavik International Airport. As an EU airport, every flight departing from here is covered by EU Regulation 261/2004. Here is what to expect if your flight was delayed or cancelled here, or you were stranded.

By the EU261 Flight Delay editorial team Last reviewed: Reading time: 6 min How we write our guides

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In short: Any flight departing from Keflavik International Airport that arrives 3 or more hours late, is cancelled less than 14 days before departure, or is overbooked can give €250–600 per passenger. Departures: EU261 with any airline.

Live at Reykjavík (KEF) today

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About the airport

Keflavik International Airport (KEF) serves Reykjavík, Iceland. On the routes Eurostat reports, 5,226,008 passengers flew to or from it in 2024, the 85th-highest among the 397 European airports we cover. Its busiest connections were to Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Paris, London.

Every flight departing from here is covered by EU Regulation 261/2004, whatever the airline. Flights arriving here are covered if they depart from the EU, or if an EU airline operates them from outside the EU.

Busiest routes from Reykjavík – and what a delay is worth

The 30 busiest routes on Eurostat’s 2024 data, with the compensation for a 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation in each direction.

DestinationPassengers 2024DistanceFrom KEFReturn
Copenhagen CPH556,9082,144 km€400€400
Amsterdam AMS370,6662,038 km€400€400
Paris CDG354,7582,242 km€400€400
London LHR349,5151,895 km€400£350
Oslo OSL286,9251,781 km€400€400
Frankfurt FRA248,1692,401 km€400€400
Manchester MAN213,8701,653 km€400£350
Helsinki HEL196,5142,444 km€400€400
Dublin DUB195,0101,497 km€250€250
Milan MXP170,9792,809 km€400€400
Stockholm ARN169,7812,143 km€400€400
London LGW167,9051,935 km€400£350
Berlin BER165,8412,432 km€400€400
Tenerife TFS148,5394,020 km€400€400
London LTN127,4271,862 km€400£350
Munich MUC126,6842,692 km€400€400
Zurich ZRH124,5432,631 km€400€400
London STN124,2751,885 km€400£350
Warsaw WAW114,4342,804 km€400€400
Rome FCO103,3123,319 km€400€400
Barcelona BCN99,2782,981 km€400€400
Alicante ALC99,0453,208 km€400€400
Vienna VIE95,2152,931 km€400€400
Glasgow GLA94,4121,347 km€250£220
Madrid MAD75,2712,890 km€400€400
Brussels BRU70,7622,148 km€400€400
Gdańsk GDN66,3532,515 km€400€400
Paris ORY64,1152,260 km€400€400
Budapest BUD53,4123,116 km€400€400
Prague PRG52,7622,653 km€400€400

* only with an EU (or UK) airline. Passengers: Eurostat, both directions, routes reported by EU/EEA airports.

Typical delay causes at Keflavik International Airport

  • Most long delays that earn compensation are not flow delays but airline problems – technical faults, crew shortages and late inbound aircraft – which do not count as extraordinary circumstances.

Airlines you are likely to fly with here

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    What happened?Step 1 of 4

    What happened to your flight?
    Where did you fly from and to?

    With a connection, enter your first departure and your final destination – compensation is based on the total distance.

    How late did you arrive at your final destination?

    What counts is when the aircraft doors opened at your destination – not the departure delay.

    When were you told about the cancellation?
    When did you arrive on the replacement flight?
    Which airline operated the flight?
    When was the flight?

    How many passengers were on the booking?

    1 passenger

    Every passenger gets their own compensation, children too. Infants under 2 without their own seat do not count.

    • Free, no sign-up
    • Fee only if successful (35%)
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    Local information

    • Ask the airline staff at the gate for the reason for the delay or cancellation and write it down; take a photo of the departure board.
    • From 2 hours’ delay (depending on distance) the airline must give you meals and drinks, and a hotel if you are stuck overnight – keep the receipts if you had to pay yourself.
    • If the airline rejects your claim, complain to the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed (or arrived, for flights from outside the EU), or go to court.

    Frequently asked questions

    Can I claim compensation for a flight departing from Keflavik International Airport?

    Yes. KEF is an EU airport, so every flight departing from it is covered by EU Regulation 261/2004, whatever the airline and wherever it is based.

    Can I claim compensation for a flight arriving at Keflavik International Airport?

    If the flight departed from an EU airport: yes, with any airline. If it departed from the UK: yes, under UK261, with any airline. If it departed from elsewhere: only if an EU airline operated it.

    How is the length of the delay measured?

    By your arrival time at your final destination – more precisely, the moment the aircraft door opens at the gate. It must be at least 3 hours after the scheduled arrival time.

    Related guides

    Information only, not legal advice. Passenger figures are approximate and based on the airports' published statistics; punctuality figures are from the UK Civil Aviation Authority. We earn a commission when a claim submitted through our partner links is successful.

    Sources

    1. Eurostat – air passenger transport routes between partner airports and main airports (2024) – Eurostat

    We check every rule against the sources above. Spotted an error? Tell us – see our editorial policy.