The new low-cost carrier will operate four times weekly between the capitals

PLAY has begun operations with a service to London/Stansted from its home at Keflavik airport, near Iceland’s capital Reykjavik.

The airline has a single Airbus A321neo, painted in a signature all-red livery, which will be used to link the cities four times weekly, flying on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

Steve Griffiths, managing director of London/Stansted, said: “We wish PLAY every success with these great value and convenient flights which will I’m sure prove to be very popular with passengers from London and East of England wishing to fly from their local airport.”

The carrier’s launch comes as Iceland features on the UK’s green travel list, meaning passengers are not required to quarantine on return to the country and PLAY hopes to take further advantage of rule relaxation across Europe this summer with the launch of up to eight more routes.

Birgir Jónsson, CEO of PLAY, commented: “The inaugural flight marks a milestone moment for us at PLAY. I am incredibly proud of my colleagues, all of whom have played an integral role in launching the airline. It’s great to see the crew wearing PLAY’s new uniform, which encompasses our core values: simplicity, playfulness, competitiveness, equality and on-time performance. We’re so excited to be taking our bright red plane to the skies, and welcoming British travellers to Iceland this summer.”