Flying from London to Reykjavik

Checking a route map before booking matters more than comparing fares first, because not every airport near London flies to Iceland on the same schedule. Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and Stansted all serve Keflavik, but they are not identical: three run all year and one is a winter-only addition chasing the northern-lights season. A flight from london to Reykjavik takes about three hours in the air, short enough to book as a long weekend rather than a full holiday. This page sets out which London airport to start from, how long the flight actually is, and which nearby UK routes are worth checking before settling on London by default.

Choosing between the four London airports

A traveller who books whichever London airport shows the lowest fare can end up at Stansted in July with no seat at all, since that route runs in winter only. Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton hold nonstop service to Keflavik all year, so any of the three works for a trip booked in any month. Stansted's route is seasonal, flown for the northern-lights months, and is not there to check in summer.

Glasgow is worth comparing before settling on a London departure, since it sits closer to Iceland than any English airport and runs its own nonstop all year. Cheap flights from glasgow to Reykjavik are a genuine alternative for anyone starting a UK trip in Scotland rather than London, and the flight itself is shorter than any option out of England. A reader planning to combine Scotland with Iceland gains nothing by routing through London first.

Heathrow and Gatwick both carry enough weekly capacity to be the default choice for most Londoners, and Luton adds a third year-round option from the north side of the city. None of the four is inherently cheaper than another on Isavia's own route data, which lists frequency and season but not fare.

How long the flight actually takes

Assuming the same flight time from every London airport is a common mistake, since Isavia publishes a separate block time for each one and they are not equal. The london to Reykjavik flight time from Heathrow is 3 hours 15 minutes, and Gatwick is close behind at 3 hours 10 minutes. Neither is the shortest option from the UK.

Lhr to Reykjavik is the longer of the two main London routes by five minutes against Gatwick, a gap too small to plan around but worth knowing before comparing schedules. Manchester, further north, cuts the air time to 2 hours 45 minutes, and Scotland is shorter again. These are Isavia's own published times, one per destination page, not an estimate.

A three-hour flight in either direction makes a short break workable without losing more than a travel day on each end, which is part of why the route supports frequent year-round service from three separate London airports rather than just one.

Booking a longer trip rather than a single flight

Buying a one-way fare and building the itinerary afterwards is harder than it needs to be, since several operators sell iceland tour packages from uk departure airports that bundle the flight with accommodation and a fixed set of days. That route suits a traveller who wants the logistics settled before leaving rather than assembled after arrival.

Ireland is not part of the London route network covered here, but dublin to Reykjavik direct flights exist on their own schedule and are worth checking separately for anyone starting a trip from Ireland rather than England or Scotland. They are not interchangeable with a London departure and run to their own season.

A package booked around a fixed flight date removes the need to track which London airport is running which season, since the operator has already matched the flight to the dates sold.

Scotland's shorter route

Assuming Scotland has no direct service, or that it only runs in season, misses one of the two year-round Scottish routes to Keflavik. Edinburgh to Reykjavik flies nonstop all year, at 2 hours 20 minutes, only five minutes longer than the Glasgow route and shorter than every English departure point.

Anyone planning to see both Edinburgh and Reykjavik on the same trip can fly nonstop between the two without routing through London at all. The Edinburgh route sits alongside Glasgow as the two Scottish airports with a permanent, all-year Keflavik service, rather than the seasonal winter-only pattern that applies to some English regional airports.

For a UK traveller weighing London against Scotland, flight time is the clearest difference: Scotland's two routes are both under two and a half hours, against just over three hours from Heathrow or Gatwick.

What to check before booking

Booking a flight without checking current entry rules is the last mistake worth avoiding on this route. Flights from london to Reykjavik carry no visa requirement for a UK passport holder on a short trip, under the Schengen rule shared across Iceland and 28 other countries, though a passport should be valid three months beyond the departure date. The UK FCDO travel advice for Iceland is the first place to check current entry and travel conditions before a UK departure, with the US State Department's Iceland country page as a second reference for travellers connecting through the US.

One further point worth checking before booking: PLAY, the Icelandic low-cost carrier, ceased operations on 29 September 2025 and no longer appears on Isavia's airline list, so it is not an option on this route regardless of what an older search result suggests.

A route's season is also not fixed for good. Isavia tags each destination "All year", "Summer" or "Winter" and updates the list itself, so a route confirmed here on 2026-09-08 is worth checking again closer to the travel date rather than assumed to hold indefinitely.

Common questions

Which London airport has the shortest flight to Reykjavik?

Gatwick, at 3 hours 10 minutes, is five minutes shorter than Heathrow. Neither is as short as the Scottish routes.

Does Stansted fly to Reykjavik all year?

No. The Stansted route is listed as winter only, running for the northern-lights season rather than year round.

Is there a direct flight from Dublin to Reykjavik?

Yes, on its own schedule separate from the London routes covered on this page.

Can I still book a flight with PLAY?

No. PLAY ceased operations on 29 September 2025 and does not appear on Isavia's current airline list.

Is Glasgow or Edinburgh closer to Reykjavik?

Glasgow, at 2 hours 15 minutes, is five minutes shorter than Edinburgh's 2 hours 20 minutes. Both run all year.