Icelandair retires iconic Boeing 757 with Vatnajökull glacier special livery
September 22, 2025
Icelandair has retired one of its most iconic Boeing 757s, as TF-FIR has taken its last flight. While the loss of any 757 is a cause for a moment of reflection, this aircraft’s final flight is made all the more significant because of its unusual special livery.
Introduced in 2017 to celebrate the airline’s 80th year, TF-FIR has sported the Vatnajökull livery for the past eight years, bringing a taste of Iceland to passengers from all over the world. Inspired by the glacier of the same name, Vatnajökull features a hand-painted image and a glacier-themed interior.
The aircraft’s final revenue service was from London Heathrow to Reykjavik on 21 September. It left the British hub at 22:29, arriving in Iceland at 00:15 today. According to data from Flightradar24, in recent weeks it has been used on services to Manchester, Glasgow, Oslo, Denver and New York.
This morning, 22 September, the Boeing 757 took off from its home at Keflavik Airport and began the long transatlantic haul to Kansas City (MCI). Previous retired 757s also went to Kansas for part-out.
TF-FIR: Bringing the magic of the Vatnajökull glacier to the skies
To create this masterpiece, Icelandair used four airbrush artists, twenty-one assistants, 590 square meters of canvas and 195 litres of paint. The airline used the same artists who created Hekla Aurora, another 757 with a livery inspired by the Northern Lights.
It took the team 24 days to complete the meticulous airbrushed exterior design, but the glacial inspiration doesn’t stop at the exterior.
Inside, touches of glacier magic are delivered by ambient moving LED blue lighting in the main cabin; the headrests are adorned with an ice white and brilliant turquoise design. Even the drinks trolley is transformed into a mini ice-cave, while cups, napkins, and even sick bags are decorated with glacier prints.
The Boeing 757 is now 31.7 years old, having been delivered new to Iberia in 1994. It joined the Icelandair fleet in 2002 and received its special livery in 2017.
Icelandair’s Boeing 757 retirement
Over the course of its history, Icelandair has operated 44 Boeing 757s, 42 of which have been the 757-200 while just two were the longer ‘flying pencil’ -300 variant. Today, it has just 10 757-200s and two -300s.
The airline began phasing out its 757 fleet during the pandemic, with around a third of the aircraft retired in 2020 and 2021. Replacing the aircraft are the Boeing 737 MAX, of which Icelandair now has 21, and the A320neo, of which it has four so far.
The remaining 757s are not young aircraft. The -200s average 26.4 years, while the two -300s are 23 and 25 years old. Vatnajökull was by far the oldest -200 left in the fleet. The next oldest is TF-FIU at 31.5 years, another iconic aircraft with the stunning Hekla Aurora livery.
While the 757’s days are numbered at Icelandair, the retirement of TF-FIR is the first of 2025. The last 757 retirement was Keilir in September 2024.
Icelandair is phasing out the 757 as replacements arrive. It’s due more A321neos, and ultimately the A321XLR, which will see more Boeing 757s leave. It’s possible Hekla Aurora could be next for the boneyard, but hopefully not too soon.
