Niceair

Niceair is a virtual airline headquartered in Akureyri in northern Iceland, with operations based at Akureyri Airport.[1] The company launched services on 2 June 2022, using a leased Airbus A319.

Niceair
IATA ICAO Callsign
— HFM n/a
FoundedFebruary 2022 (2022-02)
Commenced operations2 June 2022 (2022-06-02)
Operating basesAkureyri Airport
Fleet size1
Destinations3
HeadquartersAkureyri, Iceland
Key peopleÞorvaldur Lúðvík Sigurjónsson (CEO)
Websiteniceair.is

History

In February 2022, Niceair was announced as a virtual airline with the intention of bringing tourists to northern Iceland from other parts of Europe, with services planned to launch on 2 June 2022, using a fleet consisting of a single Airbus A319.[2][3][4][5] The company was launched with financial backing from various investors including Samherji and Norlandair.[6] The company additionally had no immediate plans to acquire its own air operator's certificate, instead planning for its flights to be operated by a separate charter airline.[7] During March 2022, the operating airline was revealed to be Hi Fly Malta,[8] and Niceair subsequently began ticket sales for flights.[9]

Following the launch of its first service to London Stansted on 3 June 2022, the company found it was not allowed to transport passengers on its first return flight from London back to Akureyri,[10] as an air services treaty between Iceland and the United Kingdom that came into effect as part of Brexit did not allow for Hi Fly Malta to operate scheduled services between the two countries on behalf of Niceair.[11] The company subsequently suspended its London Stansted services for at least the remainder of the month. Though since, services have not been resumed.[12] This also led to the circumstance that the planned flights to Manchester did not proceed in October 2022 as previously planned.[13][14]

The airline has suspended operations as of 7 April 2023.[15]

Destinations

As of November 2022, Niceair has offered scheduled services to the following destinations:[14]

Country/territory City/region Airport Start date End date Notes Refs
DenmarkCopenhagenCopenhagen Airport2 June 20225 April 2023[9]
GermanyDüsseldorfDüsseldorf Airport6 May 2023—Did not start[16]
IcelandAkureyriAkureyri Airport2 June 20225 April 2023Base[9]
SpainAlicanteAlicante–Elche Miguel Hernández Airport11 April 2023—Future (Seasonal)[17]
TenerifeTenerife South Airport8 June 20225 April 2023Seasonal[18]
United KingdomLondonLondon Stansted Airport3 June 20223 June 2022Terminated[9][12]

Fleet

As of June 2022, Niceair has chartered the following aircraft under its brand:

Niceair fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
Airbus A319-100 1 — 150 Leased from Hi Fly Malta[8]
Total 1 —

References
  1. "Niceair Airline Profile". CAPA. Archived from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  2. "Iceland's Niceair to launch in 2Q22 with a chartered A319". ch-aviation. 21 February 2022. Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  3. Schlappig, Ben (17 February 2022). "Niceair, A New Northern Icelandic Airline". One Mile at a Time. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  4. Dron, Alan (25 February 2022). "North Icelandic Startup Niceair Eyes International Routes". Routes. Archived from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  5. "Startup Niceair Aims To Link Northern Iceland, Europe". Aviation Week Network. 24 February 2022. Archived from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  6. Sena, Gastón (22 February 2022). "Niceair, Iceland's new airline seeking to fly to Spain, Denmark and UK". Aviacionline. Archived from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  7. "Why Niceair is not an airline and how Akureyri will benefit from it". Flugblogg. 21 March 2022.
  8. "Iceland's Niceair contracts Hi Fly Malta for charter ops". ch-aviation. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  9. Pearson, James (22 March 2022). "Icelandic Startup Niceair Launches Ticket Sales On First 3 Routes". Simple Flying. Archived from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  10. Ragnhildardóttir, Hólmfríður María (3 June 2022). "Farþegar Niceair sendir heim með öðru flugfélagi" [Niceair passengers sent home by another airline]. Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  11. Menshenin, Andrei (7 June 2022). "Why HiFly Malta might not be able to fly to the UK for Niceair". Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  12. "Aflýsa öllum flugferðum til London í júní" [Flights to London canceled in June]. Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 6 June 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  13. Casey, David (26 April 2022). "Route Analysis: Akureyri-Manchester". Routes. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  14. "Destinations". Niceair. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  15. Orban, André (6 April 2023). "Icelandic start-up Niceair cancels flights and suspends operations". Aviation24.be. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  16. Liu, Jim (4 November 2022). "Niceair Adds Akureyri – Dusselsorf Route From May 2023". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  17. Liu, Jim (24 November 2022). "Niceair adds Alicante service in April/May 2023". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  18. "Fancy the Northern Lights? Niceair starts new flights from Tenerife to Iceland". Canarian Weekly. 10 March 2022. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
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