Aviation has been a part of Iceland’s history for 100 years and this summer we will celebrate this historic moment. It was in the fields of Vatnsmyri in 1919 that the first aircraft took to the skies and left those present at awe. To mark this event Iceland Post released a special stamp. Its motif features Iceland’s first aircraft, the Avro 504K and a recent jumbo jet. The item shows a stylized image of a registration plate found in all aircrafts.
The first Icelandic aircraft was of the type Avro 504K, made in Britain. Icelandic Airlines was founded in 1919 but were closed soon. A new airline with the same name was founded in 1928 and bought Iceland’s first passenger aircraft of the type Junkers F13. This airline was also short-lived and a fledgling airline, Akureyri Airlines, was founded in 1937. The company later moved to Reykjavík and changed its name to Icelandic Airlines. Iceland’s first international flight was made by a Catalina seaplane to Largs in Scotland in 1945. A year later regular flights commenced to Britain and Denmark. A new airline, Loftleiðir was founded in 1944.
See also other aviation stamps.
