Icelandair and Air China have signed a codeshare agreement linking their networks across Iceland, China and connecting European markets. The partnership follows Air China’s launch of a scheduled Beijing–Keflavík service via Copenhagen, operated three times weekly with an Airbus A330-300. Passengers will be able to book combined itineraries on a single ticket, with baggage checked through to their final destination.
Air China began the Beijing Capital–Keflavík service on 26 October, making it the first scheduled passenger connection between mainland China and Iceland. The route operates via Copenhagen rather than nonstop, adding a new link between the two countries while also providing access to the Copenhagen–Keflavík sector.
The codeshare gives Icelandair customers access to Air China’s network in China and enables Air China passengers to connect more easily with Icelandair’s destinations from Keflavík. The precise implementation date and full list of covered flights have not been disclosed.
A Chinese report described the planned arrangement as a free-sale codeshare covering Air China services from Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu to European gateways, alongside Icelandair flights from those gateways to Reykjavík. It also reported planned through-check-in cooperation at Copenhagen, Stockholm, London, Paris, Milan, Frankfurt and Geneva, although the airlines have not independently confirmed those details.
Qu Guangji, president of China National Aviation Holding Corporation and Air China, described the cooperation as a way to offer more convenient travel options and strengthen connectivity between the two countries’ aviation networks.