TUI airplane named Reykjavik
Tui Airways new Boeing 737-8 airplane entered service this week. It landed at Keflavik Airport on the morning of Thursday December 21st, arriving from London Gatwick. During a festive event Reykjavik Deputy Mayor, Þórdís Lóa Þórhallsdóttir, gave the plane its new name - Reykjavik.
Around 50 guests took part in the ceremony, including the Icelandic Yule Lads and their mother Grýla. Arriving and departing passengers were offered food and treats during the event.
"It is clearly an honour that a long-standing partner such as TUI has chosen to name one of its airplanes after our capital city. Yet more importantly this marks not only the close relationship between TUI and Iceland, but also the confidence put on us as an important holiday destination", says Guðmundur Daði Rúnarsson, Chief Commercial and Airport Development Officer (CCDO) at Keflavik Airport.
"Today, we continue on our journey of becoming Europe’s most fuel-efficient airline as we welcome another Boeing 737-8 airplane into the TUI Airline fleet. Our Reykjavik is now an ambassador for the city, the island and the TUI Group – right across Europe. This morning we arrived with a fully booked flight at Keflavik Airport - it is impressive to see that holidaymakers can’t wait to travel up North this winter to the country of extraordinary contrasts and dramatic landscapes. TUI is the strategic partner for holiday destinations all across Europe and we have been offering holidays to Iceland with our own flights for nearly eight years, now. This winter season we are expecting more than 10,000 guests from the United Kingdom to arrive to the land of fire and ice," said Sebastian Ebel, CEO TUI Group, during the naming ceremony at Keflavik airport. He was accompanied by Marco Ciomperlik, Chief Airline Officer of TUI Group, and Andrew Flintham, Managing Director TUI UK & Ireland.
“It is a great pleasure to be the godmother of this TUI Boeing 737-8 named after our beautiful city, the northernmost capital in the world. Reykjavik continues to inspire and captivate travelers from all corners of the globe. We might be small, but we make up for it with boundless energy, unyielding perseverance, and a creative spirit that knows no bounds. Our new ambassador will make us even more popular”, said Þórdís Lóa Þórhallsdóttir.
From 17th December 2023 till 28th February 2024, TUI Airways takes off from London Gatwick, Manchester and Bristol to Reykjavik and has increased its flight offering. In total, more than 100 flights to and from the Iceland are planned till the end of the winter season in 2024.