Iceland’s Transport Authority has revoked the pilot licences of two aviators involved in an unauthorised low-altitude flight over Vestmannaeyjar in April 2026. The captain, Ólafur Bragason, lost his licence for two years; the co-pilot lost his for one year. A criminal referral to police is expected in August.
Key takeaways
- Captain Ólafur Bragason received a 24-month licence revocation; the co-pilot received 12 months.
- The low-altitude flight over Vestmannaeyjar town drew international media attention when it happened in April 2026.
- Iceland’s Transport Authority (Samgöngustofa) says a police referral is expected in August 2026.
- A separate review involving Icelandair is still ongoing — no decision has been reached there yet.
What happened over Vestmannaeyjar?
In April 2026, Ólafur Bragason was the captain of a flight that passed roughly 100 metres above the town of Vestmannaeyjar — the main settlement on the Westman Islands, a volcanic archipelago about 10 kilometres off Iceland’s south coast. He had reportedly obtained permission from Avians to alter the flight route, but the manoeuvre still drew immediate scrutiny from regulators and became a viral news story well beyond Iceland’s borders.
Samgöngustofa, Iceland’s Transport Authority, confirmed the penalty on 21 July 2026. Þórhildur Elín Elínardóttir, the authority’s communications officer, told mbl.is that both pilots have now been stripped of their flying rights — Ólafur for two years and his colleague for one. The authority frames the low flight as a serious breach of aviation safety rules, and the language from officials has been blunt about it.
What comes next for the pilots and Icelandair?
The case is not finished. Þórhildur confirmed that the matter has not yet been referred to police — but that referral is expected to happen in August. A criminal complaint would open up the possibility of formal charges beyond the administrative penalty already handed down.
As for Icelandair, the airline associated with the flight, the Transport Authority says no decision has been made yet. That process is still active. So while the pilots now know exactly where they stand, the institutional side of the story has more to run.
From where I sit in Reykjavík, this case has felt unusually high-profile for an aviation regulatory matter. Low-altitude flights over populated areas are rare enough that most Icelanders I know were genuinely shocked when the footage circulated. The Westman Islands are a tight-knit community — anyone living or travelling there that day would have noticed an aircraft at rooftop height. That the incident reached international newsrooms made the regulatory response almost inevitable.
Frequently asked questions
Why did Iceland’s Transport Authority revoke the pilots’ licences?
Samgöngustofa determined that both pilots violated aviation safety rules by flying at an unauthorised low altitude over a populated area. The captain received a two-year revocation and the co-pilot a one-year revocation, reflecting their respective levels of responsibility for the flight.
Will the pilots face criminal charges in Iceland?
A formal police referral has not been filed yet, but Iceland’s Transport Authority says it expects to refer the case to police in August 2026. Whether that leads to charges is ultimately a matter for Icelandic prosecutors to decide.
What is Samgöngustofa and what authority does it have?
Samgöngustofa is Iceland’s Transport Authority, the government body responsible for licensing and regulating aviation, road transport, and maritime matters. It has the power to suspend or permanently revoke pilot licences and can refer cases to law enforcement when it believes criminal conduct may have occurred.
