Akureyri Airport (AEY) Arrivals (AEY)

Flight Arrivals at Akureyri Airport (AEY)

Akureyri International Airport (AEY) is a small, single terminal airport located just outside the town of Akureyri in northern Iceland. A new airport terminal is planned and under construction, due to be finished during the later half of 2023. This is to accommodate a larger number of passengers as Akureyri has been getting more interest from tourists in recent years, but also to meet the requirements of larger aeroplanes for international flights. This might be especially important during times of need when Keflavik, Iceland's largest airport, might not be an option.

The airport is located only 3 km/ 1.9 mi south of the town of Akureyri, making it easy to transfer there from the airport.

This page is about the amenities and services available at Akureyri International Airport.

Transfers at Akureyri Airport

Before exiting the airport's arrivals area make sure to collect your entire luggage from the baggage belt.

We recommend knowing how you will transfer from the airport before your arrival here, especially if your destination is not in the town itself.

It is easy to transfer from the airport to Akureyri town. There are taxis waiting outside during times flights are scheduled to arrive at the airport, and there is a public transportation bus route that frequents the airport and the town center, as well as other areas of the town, a few times a day. There are also several car rental agencies available at the airport.

Car Rentals - While it is usually possible to rent a vehicle as a walk-up customer it is strongly recommended to make sure to have an advance reservation before arriving at the airport. This is to make sure there is a vehicle present, available and ready for you upon your arrival, and also to make the collecting of the rental vehicle as smooth and quickly as possible, if a vehicle is available. Examples of rental car companies that are present at the airport are Avis, Budget and Hertz, but there are more options available.

See and compare all rental car companies at Akureyri International Airport.

Public Bus Transportation - The bus route that frequents the airport connects it with the town of Akureyri and the Campsite, located a few minutes drive from the airport. Buses depart between 3-6 times per day, all year round, depending on what day of the week it is. The first two stops after the airport are in the center of Akureyri, and the journey there takes 6-7 minutes.

You can find more information about the stops on the bus route as well as the schedules of departure from the airport on our bus page.

Hotel Shuttles - Some hotels might offer airport transfers as an additional service to their guests. Check with your chosen hotel if they do. This service usually has to be requested in advance and most often has an additional charge.

Taxis - Taxis will be waiting at the taxi rank located outside the airport terminal, but usually only during times of scheduled arriving flights. It is possible to call a cab during other times, and if the company is larger than 4 persons, or the luggage is larger than fits a normal sedan, it is a good idea to make an advance booking.

The journey time to the center of Akureyri is approximately 5 minutes, and will cost around 2,500 ISK, depending on the exact destination.

More information about taxis can be found on our taxi transfer page.

Private Shuttles - Some private transport companies offer transfer services from the airport. These might be mostly used for transfers to destinations outside of the town. Transfers are requested and booked in advance through the chosen company's website.

Trains - There is no public train service available in Iceland.

Ferries - While the airport does not have an option to transfer to any destinations by ferry, travellers whose destination is Hrísey island have to go there by ferry, unless they have access to a private boat or small plane. The ferry departs from a village north of Akureyri, and there are scheduled buses from Akureyri to a location near that village. The last 2 km/1.2 mi is by foot. The ferry ride is 15 minutes one-way.

Hrísey is an island located in the northern part of the fjord where Akureyri sits at the base, and it is a popular place for bird watching.

There are up to 9 departures daily.

For travellers with Grimsey island, and Sandvik (the only village on the island), as their destination there are two options, either by a scheduled flight from Akureyri Airport (3 times a week, most parts of the year), or a ferry from a location north of Akureyri (different village than the ferry to Hrísey is connected to).

The arctic circle still goes through Grimsey island, the northern part, although by the middle of this century it is expected to have moved further north. This island is also attractive to bird watchers.

The ferry takes 3 hours and there is one departure each way on weekdays. A scheduled bus connects Akureyri with the ferry three days of the week.

For more information, please visit our ferries page.

Smoking at Akureyri Airport

Since the airport is very small there is no smoking area available, but the arrival's process should not take long. Smoking is allowed outside.

Special Assistance at Akureyri Airport

Special Assistance is a service for passengers in need of special assistance, such as a wheelchair, offered by airlines.

To request special assistance, please contact your airline or your travel agency. It is normally required to make the request a minimum of 48 hours prior to the time of the flight's scheduled departure for smooth and prompt service.

ATMs at Akureyri Airport

We are not aware of any ATMs/cash machines available at the airport. The nearest ATM/cash machine can most likely be found in Akureyri town center, which is only a few km from the airport.

Currency Exchange Services at Akureyri Airport

As far as we know there is currently not a currency exchange service located at LEY Airport.

WiFi at Akureyri Airport

Akureyri International Airport (LEY) does not seem to have a WiFi service offered to visitors, which is not unusual for an airport of this size.

Prayer Room at Akureyri Airport

There is no dedicated space for prayer, meditation, tranquillity at the airport.

Duty Free Shopping at Akureyri Airport

There is various information to be found about the availability of a duty free shop at the airport, however, even if there isn't a shop available at the airport, anyone who is not a resident of Iceland is tax free eligible. It means that when you purchase something in Iceland you can apply to have the tax on the item returned to you provided that the purchase was of more than 6,000 ISK and you provide the original receipt of the purchase together with a tax-free form. These tax-free forms can be requested at the place of purchase, that will fill it in, and you can drop it, with the receipt attached, into a Tax-free box located by the entrance of the check-in hall at the airport.

An official will check if the documents are valid and stamp it and send it to the Tax-free refund office. The procedure will take approximately one month, but may be longer. For sums close to or above 1,000,000 ISK it is important to contact the local Iceland Revenue and Customs office (phone +354 442 1000) before leaving Iceland.

Food and Beverages at Akureyri Airport

The airport has a bistro, Flugstaff, located in the terminal. It sells coffee, soft drinks, juices, sweets, sandwiches, sugared pancakes and kleinur (Icelandic twisted donuts), as well as traditional Icelandic "home cooking" at midday. This may include dishes such as a leg of Icelandic lamb in a brown gravy sauce, sugar-browned potatoes, accompanied by a rhubarb marmalade, or some other traditional Icelandic feast that will make mouths water.

The bistro is located in the public area of the airport and it is frequently visited by not only air travellers but also by locals and even people passing through the area. It is not only the delicious food that draws the locals to this place, but also the atmosphere largely contributed to by the head of the bistro who loves to chat with the guests.