NEWS
Air Iceland Connect
Connecting the dots There’s always something happening at Air Iceland Connect. Here’s a roundup of some of the most newsworthy events. TEXT: Eyglo Svala Arnarsdottir
PHOTO: Hrokurinn
First environmentally certified airline
Chess club spreads joy in Greenland
Yule Lads hitch a ride with airplanes
Last year Air Iceland Connect became the first airline in Iceland to fulfil the requirements for the international environmental certification ISO 14000. The airline started recycling in 2008 and has since then gradually taken further steps towards becoming a greener operation, for example by reducing water usage, energy consumption and emissions.
Icelandic chess club Hrokurinn and circus performers from Sirkus Islands celebrated with the people of Uummannaq in northwest Greenland in October, inviting them to shows, playing chess with the children and teaching them circus tricks. In this region, 600 km (373 mi) north of the Arctic Circle, homes were destroyed by flood in June and four people were killed. In October, 170 people had still not been able to return to their villages but stayed in Uummannaq, which has 1,300 inhabitants. Last summer, Hrokurinn, in cooperation with Icelandic Church Aid and KALAK, the Iceland-Greenland friendship association, raised ISK 40 million (EUR 33,000), which was used for buying furniture, among other things. Air Iceland Connect supported the project.
Iceland doesn’t have a Santa Claus but rather 13 ogre brothers called the Yule Lads, who come down from the mountains 13 days before Christmas, place a present in every well-behaving child’s shoe, then make their way back to their cave by 6 January.
“Air Iceland Connect has always taken environmental issues seriously and seen them as part of the company’s regular activities. It isn’t only responsible to minimise the company’s environmental impact but, if successfully implemented, it also contributes to improved operations and higher revenue”, says Arni Gunnarsson, Air Iceland Connect Managing Director.
Fast facts about Air Iceland Connect
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183,301
passengers travelled through Akureyri Airport and 93,474 through Egilsstadir in 2016
places for lift-off and landing in Iceland; 6 are paved, 22 have gravel and 4 are on grass
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Weary as they were, Air Iceland Connect offered the old chaps a ride on its planes. During Advent last December, they showed up at the airport in their finest attire, played around and brought treats for kids. Unaccustomed to modern modes of transport, they were confused when asked to board the plane but eventually made it to their seats. This fun tradition has been upheld by Air Iceland Connect for years.
3,000
international flights from Reykjavik, 444 from Akureyri and 159 from Egilsstadir in 2016
234,476,186 km (145,696,747 mi) were flown within Icelandic airspace in 2016
