Arctic Bay’s new airport officially opens

Nunavut’s newest airport is open in Arctic Bay.

The $22-million airport replaces the old Nanisivik facility, which hosted its last scheduled flight Jan. 12.

The new airport is expected to be an improvement over Nanisivik, located at a high elevation, which resulted in frequent flight cancellations due to weather.

The end of service at Nanisivik also ends the need for the bumpy 27-kilometre gravel road linking Arctic Bay with Nanisivik.

In a news release, the Department of Economic Development and Transportation said closing the Nanisivik road will save the government $575,000 a year. It will be downgraded to a community access road.

The new airport also ends the need for travellers to take a long and costly shuttle ride to catch their flight.