For anyone interested in the story of flight above volcanic landscapes and windswept coasts, Iceland’s national aviation museum offers a fascinating glimpse into a century of daring and innovation. Stationed at Akureyri Airport in the north of the country, the Icelandic Aviation Museum (Flugsafn Íslands) maps out the progression of aviation in this remote island nation, from pioneering flights to decades of rescue operations.
Tracing Iceland’s aviation milestones
The institution formally opened its doors on 24 June 2000, thanks to the leadership of founding director Svanbjörn Sigurðsson. At first, the museum’s collection was stored in a leased airport hangar, but in 2007 it moved to a custom-built building five times larger than the original space. This expansion allowed for a more substantial display of photographic archives and restored aircraft, making it possible to preserve and share more of Iceland’s aerial history.
Among its holdings, the museum cares for aircraft that represent key chapters in the country’s aviation journey. One notable example is a Klemm L.25e, first built in 1934 and brought to Iceland just before the Second World War, remembered as the first plane to touch down on the island of Vestmannaeyjar. Another central piece in the story is a Waco YKS-7, identical to the very first aircraft operated by Flugfélag Akureyrar when scheduled flights began in 1938.
Aircraft that shaped Icelandic life
The collection goes far beyond civil aviation. There is a twin-engine Beechcraft reflecting wartime introductions from 1942, and the personal Auster V piloted by Björn Pálsson, who broke ground by running the nation’s first airborne ambulance service. A 1943 Douglas DC-3, which once served at Keflavík Air Base, later became part of the civil fleet with Flugfélag Íslands after the war. Visitors can also see the cockpit section of Gullfaxi, a Boeing 727 that played a role as Iceland’s first jetliner, its remains eventually recovered from the Mojave Desert.
Rescue operations are honoured with aircraft like TF-SIF, a Dauphin 2 helicopter that served the Icelandic Coast Guard for 22 years and contributed to saving approximately 250 lives. Alongside this, the Fokker F-27 flown by the Coast Guard reflects the nation’s need for reliable rescue and surveillance capabilities. The display is rounded out with more experimental machines, such as the Árnason canard aircraft, showing the inventive edge of Icelandic aviation.
The museum is not just a showcase of the past. Its aircraft have been used as real-world teaching tools for the Icelandic Technical School, and every year selected planes are flown during a special event, keeping Iceland’s airborne legacy fully alive.
