Air Greenland shortens this summer’s Iqaluit-Nuuk flight season

An Air Greenland Dash-7 sits parked at the Iqaluit airport Aug. 18. (PHOTO BY BRIAN TATTUINEE)

Air Greenland has shortened its seasonal flight schedule between Greenland and Nunavut due to slower than expected sales.

2014 marked the third year of the airline’s seasonal flights, which have run twice-weekly between Nuuk and Iqaluit since mid-June.

But the service, which was originally intended to run until Sept. 15, will instead wrap up later this week, said Air Greenland spokesperson Christian Keldsen.

The airline’s trademark red Dash-8 will fly the route one more time on Aug. 22, Keldsen said, although he said two additional flights have been added Sept. 8 and 12.

“The route has had some success, but we have not quite reached the expected passenger numbers,” Keldsen said.

“The Governments of Greenland and Nunavut have been quoted saying that they will support the route as it is important for our regions, so we are expecting them to come through with their financial support of this route.”

Air Greenland’s 2014 schedule has already been scaled back two weeks from its 2013 season, which had focused primarily on business people in the oil and mineral sector.

Air Greenland launched its third summer season this past June 13, with a renewed focus on flying tourists, and friends and family.

While 2013’s seat counts ranged between 40 and 50 per cent, the airline had hoped the tourism sector could help bring that up to 70 per cent this summer.

But Kelden said the seat count hovered at around 50 per cent in 2014.

Air Greenland did not indicate if it plans the renew the service in the summer of 2015.

This season, return air fares between Iqaluit and Nuuk were priced at $1,100.

Air Greenland teamed up with First Air again this year, which allowed travellers originating in Canada to book flights from major Canadian cities to Greenland in a single booking, or for Greenlandic travellers to fly to southern Canada, with a connecting flight in Iqaluit.