Vestmannaeyjar Airport (Icelandic: Vestmannaeyjaflugvöllur [ˈvɛstˌmanːaˌeiːjaˌflʏɣˌvœtlʏr̥]) (IATA: VEY, ICAO: BIVM) is a two-runway airport on the island of Heimaey, in Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands), a small archipelago off the south coast of Iceland. It is also known as Westman Islands Airport. As of December 2023, it has regularly scheduled flights.

Quick Facts Vestmannaeyjar Airport Vestmannaeyjaflugvöllur, Summary ...

Vestmannaeyjar Airport Vestmannaeyjaflugvöllur
IATA: VEY ICAO: BIVM
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	ISAVIA
Serves	Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland
Location	Heimaey
Elevation AMSL	326 ft / 99 m
Coordinates	63°25′30″N 020°16′45″W
Map
VEY Location of Airport in Iceland
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 03/21 1,160 3,806 Asphalt 12/30 1,199 3,934 Asphalt
Statistics (2016[1])
Passengers 19,107
Source: AIP Iceland[2]

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Since 2020 there has been intermittent flight service to Vestmannaeyjar airport, as there has been varying level of government support for maintaining flights.^[3] In 2022 and 2023, Icelandair has offered seasonal/charter flights during the Þjóðhátið festival weekend. The airport also services general aviation and medical flights. The main alternative to flying is the ferry to Landeyjahöfn and then car to Reykjavik, which takes around 3 hours in total.

The airport was opened on 13 November 1946 with a 60 x 800 m single runway (13/31). It is the first airport that the Icelandic government constructed without foreign or military assistance.^[4] In 1953 the first control tower was constructed. It was later lengthened to 900 m by 1973. In 1971, the second runway, 04/22, began construction. There was a lack of fill material on the island which made construction slow. ^[5]

During Eldfell's volcanic eruption in 1973, Vestmannaeyjar Airport served as an evacuation point for elderly and patients from the hospital who could not evacuate by boat. After the eruption was over, the tephra provided suitable materials to extend the runways to 1,300 m and 1,100 m. A new control tower was constructed in 1978 and a new terminal was opened in 1980.^[5]

In 1990 the runways were paved and a new hangar added in 1995. In the year 2000, the airport terminal was expanded and renovated.^[5]

Air Iceland flew multiple daily flights to Reykjavík Airport, using Bombardier Dash 8-200s in its last year of operations. There were also private flights to Bakki Airport on the southern coast of Iceland, taking approximately 7 minutes (depending on the weather). The scheduled flights to Reykjavík Airport take around 20 minutes.

After the opening of the Landeyjahöfn harbour in July 2010, which shortened the sailing time to the Icelandic mainland to 30 minutes (previously 3 hours), regular passenger flights were not as necessary as before. As a result, Air Iceland ended all scheduled activity on 3 August 2010. Eagle Air then became the main airline serving the airport, with smaller aircraft.^[6]

Eagle Air suspended flights to Vestmannaeyjar in September 2020. A funding agreement was made with the Ministry of Infrastructure to subsidise flights during the from January 2021 to August 2021, with Air Iceland Connect.^[7] Flights ceased after the funding ended.^[8] Another agreement was made funding flights from December 2022 to April 2023, with three flights per week, this time with Eagle Air.^[9] After the funding agreement ended, flights ceased again.^[10]

As of December 2023, there are regular commercial passenger flights to Vestmannaeyjar Airport, operated three times a week by Eagle Air Iceland. They will run to at least until 28 February 2024.^[11][12]