685A - Aviation in Iceland – 100th Anniversary - Self-adhesive - 50g domestic

September 3 this year marks one hundred years since an airplane first took to the skies in Iceland. This happened in the fields of Vatnsmýri in Reykjavik and marked the birth of aviation in Iceland. The first Icelandic aircraft was of the type Avro 504K, made in Britain. Icelandic Airlines was founded in 1919 but were short-lived. 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. The first passenger jet „Gullfaxi“, came to Iceland in June 1967. Loftleidir and Icelandic Airlines merged in 1973 under the name Flugleiðir hf, now Icelandair. Many smaller airlines have been founded in Iceland.

The stamp motif features Iceland’s first aircraft, the Avro 504K, and a recent jumbo jet. The stamps show a stylized image of a registration plate found in all aircrafts.