Loftleiðir
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| Founded | 1944 | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | 1944 | ||||||
| Ceased operations | 1979 (merged in 1973 with Flugfélag Íslands to form Icelandair) | ||||||
| Hubs | Reykjavík Airport | ||||||
| Focus cities | John F. Kennedy International Airport Luxembourg Airport | ||||||
| Headquarters | Reykjavík, Iceland | ||||||
| Key people | Alfred Eliasson (co-founder 1944 and CEO from 1953) Kristinn Olsen (co-founder 1944) Sigurdur Olafsson (co-founder 1944) | ||||||
Loftleiðir (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈlɔftˈleiːðɪr̥], lit. 'Airways'), internationally known as Icelandic Airlines (abbreviated IAL) or Loftleiðir Icelandic, was a private Icelandic airline headquartered on the grounds of Reykjavík Airport in Reykjavík, which operated mostly trans-Atlantic flights linking Europe and America, pioneering the low-cost flight business strategy on these routes.
In 2003, the name Loftleiðir Icelandic made a comeback to service the skies as Icelandair's aircraft lease and charter flights provider.