Municipality protests planned flight cuts to Northeast Iceland

Langanesbyggð municipality’s district council is strongly opposing plans to cut flights between Akureyri, Þórshöfn and Vopnafjörður by 40 per cent, Morgunblaðið reports. It is calling on the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration to reconsider the decision.

A tender held earlier this year for scheduled flights on the route proposed reducing services from five flights a week to three. The council says the municipality received no information from the administration about either the tender or its outcome.

In a formal statement, the council said the cut would be a heavy blow to residents because air travel is their only available form of public transport.

“Cuts to air transport are a heavy blow in that struggle and in stark contradiction to the objectives of public plans to strengthen communities,” the statement said.

The council also criticised the lack of consultation with the municipality and asked the administration to review the decision before contracts are finalised.