KeflavÃk Airport (Icelandic: KeflavÃkurflugvöllur) (IATA: KEF, ICAO: BIKF), also known as ReykjavÃk–KeflavÃk Airport, is the largest airport in Iceland and the country's main hub for international transportation. The airport is 1.7 nautical miles (3.1 km; 2.0 mi) west of KeflavÃk and 50 km southwest of ReykjavÃk. The airport has three runways, two of which are in use, and the airport area is about 25 km2 (9.7 sq mi). Most international journeys to or from Iceland pass through this airport. Originally, the airport was built by the United States military during World War II, as a replacement for a small British landing strip at Garður to the north. It consisted of two separate two-runway airfields, built simultaneously just 4 km apart. Patterson Field in the south-east opened in 1942 despite being partly incomplete. It was named after a young pilot who died in Iceland. Meeks Field to the north-west opened on March 23, 1943. It was named after another young pilot, George Meeks, who died on the ReykjavÃk airfield. Patterson Field was closed after the war, but Meeks Field and the adjoining structures were returned to Iceland's control and were renamed Naval Air Station Keflavik, for the nearby town of KeflavÃk. In 1951, the U.S. military returned to the airport under a defense agreement between Iceland and the U.S. signed on 5 May 1951
The main carrier at KeflavÃk is Icelandair, which has the airport as its main hub. The airport is almost exclusively used for international flights; most domestic flights use the much smaller ReykjavÃk Airport, which lies 3Â km from ReykjavÃk's city centre, although seasonal flights from Akureyri fly to KeflavÃk. KeflavÃk Airport is operated by Isavia, a government enterprise.
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