Loftleiðir
Encyclopedia
Loftleiðir HF
, internationally known as Icelandic Airlines (abbreviated IAL) or Loftleiðir Icelandic, was a private Iceland
ic airline headquartered on the grounds of Reykjavík Airport
in Reykjavík
, which operated mostly trans-atlantic flights linking Europe and America, pioneering the low-cost flight
business strategy on these routes.
. The first revenue flight (from Reykjavík to Ísafjörður
) took place on 6 April of that year. During the initial years, only domestic routes out of Reykjavík Airport
were operated using airplanes of the types Douglas DC-3
, Consolidated PBY Catalina, Stinson Reliant
, Grumman Goose
, Noorduyn Norseman
, Avro Anson
and Vultee L-1 Vigilant. The first international flight (from Reykjavík to Copenhagen
) using a Douglas DC-4
took place on 17 June 1947, the Icelandic National Day
. Loftleiðir had expected to take delivery of the DC-4 already in 1946 (the first Icelandic airline to operate an airliner of that size and range), but the delivery was delayed because of the bankruptcy of the interior outfitter. Initially, the DC-4 was deployed on flights to Europe, as well as on chartered flights for third party companies, for example from Britain to South America.
In 1948, Loftleiðir was granted governmental approval to operate passenger services to the United States of America, which were launched in August of that year when a second DC-4 joined the fleet, with New York's
Idlewild Airport as first destination. In 1949 and 1950, the DC-4s were leased to U.S. carrier Seaboard & Western Airlines
because of the difficult financial situation Loftleiðir was in during that period.
Since Loftleiðir had launched domestic flights in the 1940s, there had been a fierce competition with Flugfélag Íslands
, which had prompted the Icelandic government to divide the network between the two airlines, when the originally proposed merger had been rejected. The management of Loftleiðir claimed to have been disfavoured in this measure, and decided to cease all domestic services in 1952, fully concentrating on transatlantic flights henceforth. Typical routings at that time where from New York via Reykjavík to Hamburg
or Luxembourg
, with intermediate stops at Oslo
, Copenhagen
, Bergen
, Stavanger
or Gothenburg
.
From 1955 onwards, Luxembourg-Findel Airport was the European starting point for most of Loftleiðir's transatlantic flights. With the introduction of the Douglas DC-6
into the fleet in 1959, the DC-4s were gradually phased out. In 1964, Loftleiðir began to operate the Canadair CL-44
, the only airline to use this aircraft type for passenger flights (which had been stretched to fit the demands of the airline). With a capacity of 189 passengers, the CL-44 was the largest airplane used for scheduled transatlantic flights in those years. Loftleiðir joined the jet age
in 1970, when the Douglas DC-8
was put into service with the airline. At that time, the company had 1,000 employees.
The growing competition from Flugfélag Íslands and the economical pressure during the 1970s energy crisis
let to the merger of the two airlines in 1973 into one holding company, which was called Flugleiðir. In 1979, Flugfélag Íslands acquired all assets of Loftleiðir, and the airline became known as Icelandair
.
The Loftleidir branding re-emerged in 2003, when the newly created wet-lease and charter subsidiary of Icelandair Group
was named Loftleidir Icelandic.
Airline from the late 1960s. During different state visits to Iceland, Bill
and Hillary Clinton
both remembered the experience of their flights with Loftleiðir.
In order to comply with then valid Freedoms of the air
restrictions, tickets for transatlantic flights were issued in two parts (to/from Iceland, as Loftleiðir as an Icelandic airline was only allowed to transport passengers to and from its country of registry), but stopovers were held as short as one hour, with no changing of the aircraft required. Because Loftleiðir had not joined the International Air Transport Association
(IATA), which at that time defined the fares for its member airlines on transatlantic routes, it could offer considerably lower ticket prices. Sigurdur Helgason, who had joined the board of the airline in 1953, is credited to have introduced this strategy. The New York Times called him a "low-cost travel
pioneer."
, an airline from Norway
, on the transatlantic routes on a codeshare-like basis, as well as concerning aircraft maintenance. When the European focus shifted from Scandinavia to Luxemburg, this partnership was terminated. Air Bahama, a small airline from the Bahamas, was acquired in 1969. In 1970, Loftleiðir became one of the founding shareholders of Cargolux
, along with Luxair
and several private investors.
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
, internationally known as Icelandic Airlines (abbreviated IAL) or Loftleiðir Icelandic, was a private Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic airline headquartered on the grounds of Reykjavík Airport
Reykjavík Airport
Reykjavík Airport Reykjavík Airport Reykjavík Airport (Icelandic: Reykjavíkurflugvöllur, is the chiefly domestic airport serving Reykjavík, Iceland. The airport lies two kilometres from Reykjavík's city centre. Possessing rather short runways, it normally only serves flights within Iceland and to...
in Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
, which operated mostly trans-atlantic flights linking Europe and America, pioneering the low-cost flight
Low-cost carrier
A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts...
business strategy on these routes.
History
Loftleiðir (the name being a compound of the Icelandic words for Air and Way) was founded on 10 March 1944, by Alfred Eliasson and two other young Icelandic pilots who had just returned from flight training in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The first revenue flight (from Reykjavík to Ísafjörður
Ísafjörður
Ísafjörður is a town in the north west of Iceland, seat of Ísafjarðarbær municipality.The town draws its name from the fjord and the fjord was given its name simultaneously to the island...
) took place on 6 April of that year. During the initial years, only domestic routes out of Reykjavík Airport
Reykjavík Airport
Reykjavík Airport Reykjavík Airport Reykjavík Airport (Icelandic: Reykjavíkurflugvöllur, is the chiefly domestic airport serving Reykjavík, Iceland. The airport lies two kilometres from Reykjavík's city centre. Possessing rather short runways, it normally only serves flights within Iceland and to...
were operated using airplanes of the types Douglas DC-3
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
, Consolidated PBY Catalina, Stinson Reliant
Stinson Reliant
The Stinson Reliant was a popular single-engine four to five seat high-wing monoplane manufactured by the Stinson Aircraft Division of the Aviation Manufacturing Corporation of Wayne, Michigan.-Design and development:...
, Grumman Goose
Grumman Goose
The Grumman G-21 Goose amphibious aircraft was designed as an eight-seat "commuter" plane for businessmen in the Long Island area. The Goose was Grumman’s first monoplane to fly, its first twin-engined aircraft, and its first aircraft to enter commercial airline service...
, Noorduyn Norseman
Noorduyn Norseman
The Noorduyn Norseman is a Canadian single-engine bush plane designed to operate from unimproved surfaces. Norseman aircraft are known to have been registered and/or operated in 68 countries throughout the world and also have been based and flown in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.-Design and...
, Avro Anson
Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was...
and Vultee L-1 Vigilant. The first international flight (from Reykjavík to Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
) using a Douglas DC-4
Douglas DC-4
The Douglas DC-4 is a four-engined propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s in a military role...
took place on 17 June 1947, the Icelandic National Day
Icelandic National Day
Icelandic National Day , 17 June, is a holiday in Iceland and celebrates the day in 1944 that The Republic of Iceland was formed....
. Loftleiðir had expected to take delivery of the DC-4 already in 1946 (the first Icelandic airline to operate an airliner of that size and range), but the delivery was delayed because of the bankruptcy of the interior outfitter. Initially, the DC-4 was deployed on flights to Europe, as well as on chartered flights for third party companies, for example from Britain to South America.
In 1948, Loftleiðir was granted governmental approval to operate passenger services to the United States of America, which were launched in August of that year when a second DC-4 joined the fleet, with New York's
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Idlewild Airport as first destination. In 1949 and 1950, the DC-4s were leased to U.S. carrier Seaboard & Western Airlines
Seaboard World Airlines
Seaboard World Airlines was an international all-cargo airline based in the United States. Its headquarters were on the grounds of John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.- History :...
because of the difficult financial situation Loftleiðir was in during that period.
Since Loftleiðir had launched domestic flights in the 1940s, there had been a fierce competition with Flugfélag Íslands
Air Iceland
Air Iceland is a regional airline with its head office on the property of Reykjavík Airport in Reykjavík, Iceland. It operates scheduled services to domestic destinations and to Greenland. Its main bases are Reykjavík Airport and Akureyri Airport...
, which had prompted the Icelandic government to divide the network between the two airlines, when the originally proposed merger had been rejected. The management of Loftleiðir claimed to have been disfavoured in this measure, and decided to cease all domestic services in 1952, fully concentrating on transatlantic flights henceforth. Typical routings at that time where from New York via Reykjavík to Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
or Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
, with intermediate stops at Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
, Stavanger
Stavanger
Stavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...
or Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
.
From 1955 onwards, Luxembourg-Findel Airport was the European starting point for most of Loftleiðir's transatlantic flights. With the introduction of the Douglas DC-6
Douglas DC-6
The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with the Lockheed Constellation in the long-range...
into the fleet in 1959, the DC-4s were gradually phased out. In 1964, Loftleiðir began to operate the Canadair CL-44
Canadair CL-44
The Canadair CL-44 was a Canadian turboprop airliner and cargo aircraft based on the Bristol Britannia that was developed and produced by Canadair in the late 1950s and early 1960s...
, the only airline to use this aircraft type for passenger flights (which had been stretched to fit the demands of the airline). With a capacity of 189 passengers, the CL-44 was the largest airplane used for scheduled transatlantic flights in those years. Loftleiðir joined the jet age
Jet age
The Jet Age is a period of history defined by the social change brought about by the advent of large aircraft powered by turbine engines. These aircraft are able to fly much higher, faster, and farther than older piston-powered propliners, making transcontinental and inter-continental travel...
in 1970, when the Douglas DC-8
Douglas DC-8
The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined narrow-body passenger commercial jet airliner, manufactured from 1958 to 1972 by the Douglas Aircraft Company...
was put into service with the airline. At that time, the company had 1,000 employees.
The growing competition from Flugfélag Íslands and the economical pressure during the 1970s energy crisis
1970s energy crisis
The 1970s energy crisis was a period in which the major industrial countries of the world, particularly the United States, faced substantial shortages, both perceived and real, of petroleum...
let to the merger of the two airlines in 1973 into one holding company, which was called Flugleiðir. In 1979, Flugfélag Íslands acquired all assets of Loftleiðir, and the airline became known as Icelandair
Icelandair
Icelandair ehf is the flag carrier airline of Iceland, based on the grounds of Reykjavík Airport in Reykjavík. It is part of the Icelandair Group and currently operates scheduled services to 31 cities in 13 countries on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean out of its hub at Keflavík International Airport...
.
The Loftleidir branding re-emerged in 2003, when the newly created wet-lease and charter subsidiary of Icelandair Group
Icelandair Group
Icelandair Group hf is an Icelandic travel industry corporation, the owner of the airline Icelandair and numerous other travel industry companies...
was named Loftleidir Icelandic.
Pioneering low-cost flights
The geographical position of Iceland in the Atlantic Ocean between Europe and America allowed Loftleiðir to offer passenger flights between the two continents with an intermediate stop at its home airport at Reykjavík, thus operating at lower costs because of easier aircraft and crew logistics than its European or American competitors. The airline was chosen by many young Americans as a cheap means of travel to Europe, which earned it the title HippieHippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
Airline from the late 1960s. During different state visits to Iceland, Bill
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
and Hillary Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
both remembered the experience of their flights with Loftleiðir.
In order to comply with then valid Freedoms of the air
Freedoms of the air
The freedoms of the air are a set of commercial aviation rights granting a country's airline the privilege to enter and land in another country's airspace...
restrictions, tickets for transatlantic flights were issued in two parts (to/from Iceland, as Loftleiðir as an Icelandic airline was only allowed to transport passengers to and from its country of registry), but stopovers were held as short as one hour, with no changing of the aircraft required. Because Loftleiðir had not joined the International Air Transport Association
International Air Transport Association
The International Air Transport Association is an international industry trade group of airlines headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where the International Civil Aviation Organization is also headquartered. The executive offices are at the Geneva Airport in SwitzerlandIATA's mission is to...
(IATA), which at that time defined the fares for its member airlines on transatlantic routes, it could offer considerably lower ticket prices. Sigurdur Helgason, who had joined the board of the airline in 1953, is credited to have introduced this strategy. The New York Times called him a "low-cost travel
Low-cost carrier
A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts...
pioneer."
Airline co-operations
Between 1952 and 1962, Loftleiðir co-operated with BraathensBraathens
Braathens ASA, until 1997 Braathens South American & Far East Airtransport A/S and trading as Braathens SAFE, is a former Norwegian airline that operated from 1946 until it merged with Scandinavian Airlines Norway to become SAS Braathens in 2004. The airline was based in Oslo, first at Fornebu,...
, an airline from Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, on the transatlantic routes on a codeshare-like basis, as well as concerning aircraft maintenance. When the European focus shifted from Scandinavia to Luxemburg, this partnership was terminated. Air Bahama, a small airline from the Bahamas, was acquired in 1969. In 1970, Loftleiðir became one of the founding shareholders of Cargolux
Cargolux
Cargolux Airlines International S.A., trading as Cargolux, is a cargo airline with its head office on the grounds of Luxembourg – Findel Airport in Sandweiler, Luxembourg. It is one of the largest scheduled all-cargo airlines in Europe with a global network...
, along with Luxair
Luxair
Luxair S.A., Société Luxembourgeoise de Navigation Aérienne, operating as Luxair, is the flag carrier airline of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It operates scheduled services to 50 destinations in Europe, North Africa, the Mediterranean and Middle East, plus charter and seasonal summer services....
and several private investors.
Fleet
Over the years, the following aircraft types were operated:| Aircraft | Introduced | Retired |
|---|---|---|
| Avro Anson Avro Anson The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was... |
||
| Canadair CL-44 Canadair CL-44 The Canadair CL-44 was a Canadian turboprop airliner and cargo aircraft based on the Bristol Britannia that was developed and produced by Canadair in the late 1950s and early 1960s... |
||
| Douglas DC-3 Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made... Douglas C-54 Skymaster |
||
| Douglas DC-4 Douglas DC-4 The Douglas DC-4 is a four-engined propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s in a military role... |
||
| Douglas DC-6 Douglas DC-6 The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with the Lockheed Constellation in the long-range... |
||
| Douglas DC-8 Douglas DC-8 The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined narrow-body passenger commercial jet airliner, manufactured from 1958 to 1972 by the Douglas Aircraft Company... |
||
| Grumman Goose Grumman Goose The Grumman G-21 Goose amphibious aircraft was designed as an eight-seat "commuter" plane for businessmen in the Long Island area. The Goose was Grumman’s first monoplane to fly, its first twin-engined aircraft, and its first aircraft to enter commercial airline service... |
||
| Noorduyn Norseman Noorduyn Norseman The Noorduyn Norseman is a Canadian single-engine bush plane designed to operate from unimproved surfaces. Norseman aircraft are known to have been registered and/or operated in 68 countries throughout the world and also have been based and flown in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.-Design and... |
||
| Stinson Reliant Stinson Reliant The Stinson Reliant was a popular single-engine four to five seat high-wing monoplane manufactured by the Stinson Aircraft Division of the Aviation Manufacturing Corporation of Wayne, Michigan.-Design and development:... |
||
| Vultee L-1 Vigilant | ||
Accidents and incidents
- On 14 September 1950, a Loftleiðir Douglas C-54 Skymaster (registeredAircraft registrationAn aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
TF-RVC, named Geysir) crashed into the VatnajökullVatnajökullVatnajökull is the largest glacier in Iceland. It is located in the south-east of the island, covering more than 8% of the country.-Size:With an area of 8,100 km², Vatnajökull is the largest ice cap in Europe by volume and the second largest in area Vatnajökull is the largest glacier in...
glacier. The six occupants that had been on the cargo flight from LuxemburgLuxemburg* Luxembourg * Luxemburg * Luxemburg, Wisconsin* Luxemburg, IowaFamily name:* Rosa Luxemburg * Wilhelmus Luxemburg...
to Reykjavík (the first service for the airline on that route) survived, but could only be found and rescued on 20 September, as the location of the crash site had previously been unknown. - On 23 June 1973, a Loftleiðir Douglas DC-8Douglas DC-8The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined narrow-body passenger commercial jet airliner, manufactured from 1958 to 1972 by the Douglas Aircraft Company...
(registered N8960T) was damaged in a tail-first landing at John F. Kennedy International AirportJohn F. Kennedy International AirportJohn F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
, when it completed Flight 509 on the StockholmStockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
-OsloOsloOslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
-Reykjavík-New YorkNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
route with 119 passengers and nine crew members on board. An NTSBNational Transportation Safety BoardThe National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
investigation found that the accident was caused by a flawed procedure when the spoilersSpoiler (aeronautics)In aeronautics, a spoiler is a device intended to reduce lift in an aircraft. Spoilers are plates on the top surface of a wing which can be extended upward into the airflow and spoil it. By doing so, the spoiler creates a carefully controlled stall over the portion of the wing behind it, greatly...
were extended (right before touchdown rather than once the landing gear had been lowered). - The disaster of Flight LL 001 (a Loftleiðir flight number, even though the company had merged with Flugfélag Íslands at that time) with its 183 fatalities marks the by far worst accident in the history of Icelandic aviation. On 15 November 1978, the Douglas DC-8Douglas DC-8The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined narrow-body passenger commercial jet airliner, manufactured from 1958 to 1972 by the Douglas Aircraft Company...
(registered TF-FLA) missed the runway upon approach of Colombo AirportBandaranaike International AirportBandaranaike International Airport is Sri Lanka's only international airport at the moment. Mattala International Airport, when it gets built will be the second International Airport of Sri Lanka. It is located in Katunayake, north of Colombo...
in Sri LankaSri LankaSri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
during a chartered HajjHajjThe Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
pilgrimage flight from JeddahJeddahJeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The...
and crashed. 74 passengers and 5 crew members survived the accident.
In popular culture
- Alfred Eliasson & Loftleiðir Icelandic is a 2009 documentary film from Iceland, which tells the story of the airline and one of its founders, starring Arnar JónssonArnar Jónsson (actor)Arnar Jónsson is an Icelandic actor. He is married to Þórhildur Þorleifsdóttir. Arnar has played more leading roles in theaters than any other Icelandic actor. He starred in the film Outlaw and also in other 17 main and about 200 other roles in theater. He likes golf and also brought up 5 children...
.