Keflavík

Keflavík exists because of two invasions: the 1940 British occupation that built the original airfield, and the subsequent American military presence that transformed a fishing village into an aviation hub. When NATO closed its naval air station in 2006, the town faced ecological collapse—loss of its primary economic relationship. Instead, it underwent metamorphosis into Iceland's international gateway.

Keflavík International Airport now defines the region's metabolism. In 2024, 8.3 million passengers transited the facility—more than twenty times Iceland's entire population. The airport serves as Icelandair's hub, connecting 27 airlines across North Atlantic routes. The €1.5 billion terminal expansion, completed in 2025, increased capacity by 30% with plans for 70% growth by 2030.

The economic pattern resembles fungal networks that channel nutrients across vast distances. Keflavík processes human flows between continents while extracting economic value from layovers, duty-free purchases, and ground services. New routes in 2025 include Nashville and Istanbul via Icelandair, plus services from Discover Airlines (Munich) and LOT Polish (Warsaw).

Infrastructure strain mirrors metabolic bottlenecks in growing organisms. A November 2025 study identified transport to the airport as a critical constraint—access costs sometimes rival ticket prices. The collapse of budget carrier Play in September 2025 demonstrated the volatility of aviation-dependent economies. Yet the underlying geographic logic remains: Keflavík sits precisely where great circle routes between Europe and North America converge, making it a natural hub regardless of which airlines occupy the niche.