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Reykjavík Airport, or Keflavík?

Facts verified 2026-08-05Updated 2026-08-05Planning

Two airports, both called “Reykjavík” by somebody — and 48 km of Reykjanes between them.

Reykjavík (RKV)Keflavík (KEF)
CodeRKV (ICAO BIRK)KEF
Distance from the centreAbout 2 kmAbout 50 km
FlightsDomestic + limited GreenlandAll international
Also handlesMedivac, private, general aviation—
You are here ifFlying to Akureyri, Egilsstaðir, ÍsafjörðurYou flew in from abroad
Aerial view of Reykjavík with the city airport's runways in the foreground, the downtown skyline and Hallgrímskirkja immediately behind them, and the snow-streaked Esja ridge across the bay.
The reason the distinction matters, in one frame: Reykjavík Airport’s runways with the city centre directly behind them. Photo by Eric Kilby, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Short answer

Reykjavík Airport is RKV, about 2 km from the centre, and it flies domestic routes only plus limited Greenland services. Every international flight uses Keflavík (KEF), 50 km away. If you flew in from abroad, you landed at Keflavík — whatever your ticket said.

RKV: the airport inside the city

The codes first, because that is what settles most arguments: “IATA: RKV, ICAO: BIRK”. And the distance that makes it unusual — “the airport is located about two kilometres (1+1⁄4 miles) from the city centre”. That is not an airport near a city; that is an airport in one, which the photograph above shows better than any number does.

What it carries is narrower than its position suggests. It “serves only domestic flights within Iceland and limited Greenland flights”, and it “also services medivac, private aviation and general aviation”. So it is the departure point for the hops north and east — to Akureyri and toward the Westfjords — and the base for the air ambulance. We publish no schedules or fares for it: we hold no feed for either, and a stale timetable is worse than none.

KEF: where you actually landed

The split between the two is stated plainly at the source: “Keflavík Airport for international services and Reykjavík Airport for domestic services.” The practical reason is runway length — RKV has “shorter runways than the larger Keflavík International Airport, which is sited 50 kilometres (30 mi) out of town”.

So if you booked a flight to Iceland from anywhere abroad, you are arriving at Keflavík and you have a 45-to-50-minute journey before you see Reykjavík. Getting across that gap has its own page, and it is also why nearly every rental car is collected at KEF rather than in town — you need the car for the drive in, and barely need one once you are there.

Cars & campers

−12%exclusive discountFree cancellationKEF airport pickup 24/74.8
Dacia Duster 4x4
SUV

Dacia Duster 4x4

Cheapest real 4WD in the fleet — gravel, the Westfjords and easy summer F-roads without truck prices.

TransmissionManual
FuelPetrol/diesel
Seats5
Drive4WD
From
5,355 kr6,300 kr/day
Reserve −12%
VW Caravelle
9-seater

VW Caravelle

Whole family or friend group in one car — gear in the back, room to stretch.

TransmissionAutomatic
FuelDiesel
Seats9
Drive2WD
From
12,750 kr15,000 kr/day
Reserve −12%
Key Camper Wild Duo
Camper

Key Camper Wild Duo

Sleep right by the trailhead, wake up at the falls — F-road ready from mid-June.

TransmissionManual
FuelPetrol
Sleeps2
Drive4WD
From
5,304 kr6,240 kr/day
Reserve −12%

Iceland's airports — questions people actually ask

What is the Reykjavík airport code?
There are two, and picking the wrong one is the classic mistake. The city airport is "IATA: RKV, ICAO: BIRK". The international airport an hour away is KEF. If your booking says KEF you are landing at Keflavík, 50 km from town; if it says RKV you are landing about two kilometres from the centre. Airlines and booking sites sometimes label both as "Reykjavík", which is where the confusion starts.
Which airport do international flights use in Iceland?
Keflavík, essentially always. The division is clean: "Keflavík Airport for international services and Reykjavík Airport for domestic services." Reykjavík Airport "serves only domestic flights within Iceland and limited Greenland flights", partly because it has "shorter runways than the larger Keflavík International Airport, which is sited 50 kilometres (30 mi) out of town". So if you are flying in from another country, you want Keflavík and the drive that comes with it.
How far is Reykjavík Airport from the city centre?
Barely any distance at all — "the airport is located about two kilometres (1+1⁄4 miles) from the city centre". It sits inside the city, which is what the photograph at the top of this page shows: the runways in the foreground and Hallgrímskirkja directly behind them. You can walk it. Keflavík, by contrast, is a 45-to-50-minute drive, and that difference is the single most useful thing to know about the pair.
What flies from Reykjavík Airport?
Domestic routes and a little more. The airport "serves only domestic flights within Iceland and limited Greenland flights", and it "also services medivac, private aviation and general aviation". In practice that means the hops to the north and east — Akureyri, Egilsstaðir, Ísafjörður — plus air ambulance and small-aircraft traffic. We do not publish schedules or fares here, because we hold no feed for them and a stale timetable is worse than none.
Can I fly domestically instead of driving the Ring Road?
You can, and for the far corners it is worth pricing. A flight from the city airport to Akureyri or Egilsstaðir replaces a very long drive, which matters most in winter when the roads are the constraint rather than the distance. The trade is that you lose the drive itself, which in Iceland is a large part of the point — and you will still want a car at the other end.
Which airport should I book a rental car at?
Whichever one you actually land at, which is usually Keflavík. Nearly every international arrival lands at KEF, so that is where the rental desks and the fleet are concentrated, and it is where a car makes immediate sense because you have 50 km to cover before you reach town. Picking up in the city instead only makes sense if you are spending your first days in Reykjavík itself, where a car is of little use.

Photograph: Reykjavík from the air with the city airport in the foreground, by Eric Kilby, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (place and country confirmed from the file’s own categories before use). The airport codes, the two-kilometre distance, what each airport serves and the runway comparison are quoted from Wikipedia’s Reykjavík Airport article, read 5 August 2026. One widely repeated claim is deliberately absent: that RKV is Iceland’s second-largest or second-busiest airport — that source does not say it, so this page does not either. No schedules, fares or opening hours appear here for the same reason we omit them elsewhere: we hold no feed for them.

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