Naval Air Station Keflavik (ICAO BIKF) is an inactive joint civil-military airfield in Iceland, operated by the Icelandic Coast Guard. It has 2 runways (longest 3,065 m).
63.9850°N, 22.6056°W · 52 m elevation
| Operating Country | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Location | 🇮🇸 Iceland |
| Status | Inactive |
| Usage | Dual |
| Year built | 1943 |
| Year closed | 2006 |
| Operating Organization | Icelandic Coast Guard |
| Elevation | 52 m (171 ft) |
| IATA code | KEF |
| ICAO code | BIKF |
| Runways |
01/19 · 3,054 m (10,020 ft) · Asphalt10/28 · 3,065 m (10,056 ft) · Asphalt
|
Keflavík Airport, also known as Reykjavík–Keflavík Airport, was originally built by the United States military during the Allied occupation of Iceland in World War II. It consisted of two separate airfields, Patterson Field and Meeks Field. Meeks Field, where the airport is currently located, opened on March 23, 1943. After the war, Meeks Field was returned to Iceland's control and renamed Naval Air Station Keflavik (NASKEF). The U.S. military returned to the airport in 1951 under a defense agreement between Iceland and the U.S.
The presence of foreign military forces at Keflavík under the NATO-sponsored Iceland–U.S. Defense Agreement of 1951 was a subject of controversy in Iceland. The two 3,000-meter-long runways were designed to support large aircraft, including the Space Shuttle and the Antonov An-225, and the airport serves as an important diversion landing site for transatlantic ETOPS operations. The United States military base, NASKEF, closed down in 2006 and was handed over to the Icelandic Government. The airport is now operated by Isavia, a government enterprise, and functions as Iceland's main hub for international civilian transportation, handling all international flights for the Greater Reykjavík Area. It is a hub for Icelandair and Play.
The airport has a single terminal, named Leifsstöð (Leif Erikson Air Terminal), which was constructed in 1987 to provide separate access from the military area. Expansions have occurred since 2000, including the opening of the South Building in 2001 and the enlargement of the North Building in 2007. A major expansion of the eastern wing was opened in 2023-2025, and further expansions are planned to accommodate increased passenger numbers.
GlobalMilitary.net's 2026 inventory snapshot shows nine NATO members — Iceland, Luxembourg, the three Baltic states, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia and Slovenia — hold no fixed-wing fighters, attack aircraft or bombers and depend on Allied air policing.