Icelandair: Cleveland will be newest US city

Icelandair will make Cleveland its newest US destination, a move that would give that city its first non-stop link to a European airport in nearly a decade. Icelandair Tuesday announced its intention to fly from Cleveland to its hub at the Keflavik airport near Reykjavik. Connecting itineraries would be available to more than two dozen additional European destinations, including places such as London, Madrid and Paris. Icelandair did not reveal a specific start date for the new service, saying only that the route would launch in “May 2018" with a schedule of four flights per week. Still, the route is welcome news for the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. The airport last had trans-Atlantic service in 2009, when it was still a hub for United Airlines. “We are happy to be the first carrier to provide service to Europe in eight years,” Icelandair CEO Birkir Holm Gudnason said in a statement. “This addition also strengthens our route network and bridges Europe and Cleveland together by providing direct service to Iceland in addition to quick and convenient connections to 30 destinations in Europe.” Icelandair plans to use its Boeing 757s on the route, though its new Boeing 737 Max jets are expected to be in its fleet by then, possibly giving the airline another option for its Cleveland flights. <br/>