Greenland MPs tout Iqaluit-Greenland air link

The journey of two Greenland MPs might provide a business case for the lingering dream of an air link between Iqaluit and Nuuk.

Jane Petersen and Aleqa Hammond spent a week in the Nunavut capital ending Feb. 5.

To get here, the pair had to fly from Nuuk to Reykjavik, Iceland, then on to Boston, Toronto, Ottawa and finally Iqaluit.

So it’s no surprise the issue of a renewed connection between Nunavut and Greenland was a major topic during discussions between Petersen, Hammond and Nunavut premier Eva Aariak.

“This is a high priority,” Petersen said.

Air Greenland is looking to launch a flight connecting Canada and Greenland. But the airline is reportedly looking at St. John’s and Halifax — in addition to Iqaluit — as its Canadian destination.

No one from Air Greenland was available to comment for this story.

A route to the East Coast would at least cut out the need for a flight to Iceland or Denmark to get from Greenland to North America. But politicians from both sides of the Davis Strait say it’s vital for Inuit to have a convenient connection.

Hammond and Aariak both said a direct link would open up the possibility for governments to learn from one another through staff exchanges.

Or Nunavut students could pursue educational opportunities at Nuuk’s university or the new mining school, Sanaartornermik Ilinniarfik, in Sisimiut instead of moving to southern Canada.

“I think that could be in some ways more interesting for Nunavummiut and also make it easier do something about the dropout [rate],” Hammond said.

As for globetrotting Greenlanders, Hammond said Iqaluit is a destination in itself.

“We travel a lot for holidays and going to Iqaluit, it’s an extra bonus to see our Inuit fellows that we would never have the chance to see if we were to fly through Iceland,” she said.

First Air ran a route between Iqaluit and Kangerlussuaq that was cancelled in 2001.

But with the Nunavut government more established and self-governing Greenland moving quickly down the road to independence, Aariak said the business case for the route may be better now than it ever has before.

“I think it would be much more successful this time with more opportunities in terms of trade and economic development,” she said.

Air Greenland’s last attempt at a connection to North America was a short-lived route between Kangerlussuaq and Baltimore, Maryland, which lost the airline more than $3 million before being scrapped in 2008.

Passengers board an Air Greenland turboprop in Nuuk. Recent meetings between Nunavut and Greenland politicians have rekindled hopes for an Air Greenland route between Iqaluit and Nuuk. (FILE PHOTO)