More Visitors on Bigger Aircraft

Nova Scotia can expect more visitors from Europe now that Icelandair will fly a larger aircraft into Halifax for the months of August and September.

"We're experiencing tremendous demand in Europe and in Nova Scotia, so we're putting a 757 aircraft on our route," said Hans Indridason, Icelandair's sales manager for Canada. "The bigger plane means an additional 132 seats a week coming into Halifax along with increased capacity for freight."

"This is another positive step in our efforts to improve air access into Nova Scotia," said Manning MacDonald, Minister of Economic Development and Tourism. "Our joint marketing initiatives are obviously having an effect given the increased demand for service."

An Air Accord Committee chaired by Hank Stackhouse, vice-president with Delta Hotels Atlantic Canada, oversees provincial marketing initiatives with Icelandair.

"Both Nova Scotia and Icelandair have invested a significant amount of money into promoting Nova Scotia as a destination in European markets, and we're seeing a return on that investment," said Mr. Stackhouse. "With this one decision to increase capacity, we estimate an increase in tourism expenditures of between $1.2 million and $1.4 million."

Air accords are marketing agreements under which the airline and the province split costs associated with such activities as attending trade shows, making presentations to tour wholesalers and travel agents, conducting European media tours and advertising in in-flight magazines.

Icelandair is an international carrier flying to and from Nova Scotia three times a week all year round. In addition to Nova Scotia, destinations include Iceland, Glasgow, London, Paris, Frankfurt and Scandinavia, including Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm. The airline is preparing for discussions with the federal government to increase frequency of flights into Nova Scotia.