Icelandair celebrates Reykjavík Pride

In August, the returning dark nights bring a handful of occasions to celebrate in Iceland: a colorful Reykjavík Pride being one of them. This year there’s an extra reason to party, as Reykjavík Pride turns 20. 

A 10-day long spree of entertaining and educational events spans from August 8 to 17, celebrating queer culture and legal rights. Check the programme and read up on the history of the event at the Reykjavík Pride site.

Icelandair’s Pride Flight

Every year we celebrate together with the LGBTQ+ community and support the ongoing pursuit for equal rights. We are proud of our employees, who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community and work in different departments across the company. 

This year we marked our commitment to diversity and inclusion with flight FI829 between Keflavík and Philadelphia on August 13. Our “pride flight” was an initiative of LGBTQ+ employees at Icelandair and the cabin crew and pilots on this flight are all proud members of the LGBTQ+ community. It’s not a coincidence that the service on board the flight was themed according to the occasion, with our cabin crew serving treats and a festive mood.

Inclusive Iceland

The Reykjavík Pride events have grown in participant numbers over the years and today attract thousands of people from Iceland and abroad. With nearly one third of the nation participating, it has become one of the best-attended events in Iceland. 

Many families, businesses, organizations, artists and politicians take part in the Pride festivities and express their support and recognition of the LGBTQ+ community. From an international perspective, Iceland has a prominent role in advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and that is widely felt across the country.

At Icelandair, we are proud to be part of a community that values and supports equality.

A Land of Rainbows

Rainbows are everywhere here: whether it’s a sculpture right outside Keflavík airport, a street permanently painted in rainbow colors in a remote fjord town or in the capital, or even misty rainbows seen in the Icelandic landscapes, it all sends a message of equality.

A Few Facts

These are some of the milestones reached on the path to equality:

1996: Same-sex couples are legally allowed to register as living together. 

2006: Icelandic law gives equal access to adoption and IVF; adopting a partner’s child has been legal since 2000. 

2010: Same-sex marriages are legalized. It's worth noting that the prime minister at the time, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, and her wife Jónína Leósdóttir were among the first same-sex couples to be married in Iceland.

2019: A law simplifies the process for trans people to obtain the needed medical resources plus adds a third gender option – X – to the National Registry.