Icelandair Flies Back to Halifax for 2009
A year ago I was pretty excited that Icelandair was coming back to Halifax, albeit on a part-time basis. This seasonal service worked out very well for the airline and provided another port-of-entry for European travelers into Canada and another foreign airline for Halifax.
Beginning June 4th the airline will fly into Halifax on Mondays and Thursdays until October 22nd. However, on July 11th, the airline will add Saturdays to the visits until September 3rd. Robert Keddy, the airline’s sales manager in Canada, remarked that Icelandair is till going over the feasibility of flying to Halifax all year round.
Like the rest the world, Iceland is going through rough financial times due to the sub-prime lending crisis. However, because of its small population the island nation does not have the reserves to weather a lengthy recession and this is causing political turmoil. This is remarkable because up until last year Iceland was called “the Nordic Tiger.” But recently the króna, Iceland’s currency, has fallen over 22% against the Euro and the banks are in deep trouble.
This was a bad break for both Canada and Iceland because in 2007 the Canadian government finally wised up and worked out a deal giving the airlines from each other’s countries unlimited access to the other’s airports. The hugh fuel costs and deepening recession has put this proposal back but the familiar Boeing 757′s will be back on Halifax’s tarmac, at least on a part-time basis.
Leave a comment!