A fuel shortage is hampering passenger and cargo operations of Canadian North (5T, Yellowknife) in Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut on Baffin Island, and High Arctic communities, the airline announced.
Its flights between Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord had to be cancelled on August 15 when fuel supplies ran out at Pond Inlet, Arctic Bay, Resolute Bay, and Grise Fiord. The flights are operated by sub-contractor Kenn Borek Air (KBA, Calgary), Canadian North Vice President Andrew Pope said in a statement.
While the airline managed to procure fuel locally and expects to operate its regular schedule for the rest of this week, passengers and cargo flights will have to be limited while additional fuel from Iqaluit is flown up. “This shortage will also affect our operations from Iqaluit to High Arctic communities,” Canadian North said in a statement.
In some cases, the airline had to add additional fuel stops to its flight routings which meant longer transit times for passengers and cargo.
“Canadian North is proactively taking steps to mitigate the impact of these disruptions, and we are hopeful that fuel will be made available in the next few days at some of the affected stations following annual re-supply,” it stated.
