Atlantic Airways not affected by Danish strike

Denmark is facing strike action on April 4, with a lockout from April 10, if no agreement is reached between trade unions, the state and the municipalities. A lockout is announced to start on April 10.

The Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) will be affected by the announced strike and lockout. DMI is the only institute authorised by the Danish Ministry of Transport to provide airports in the commonwealth with weather forecasts.

This will affect air travel in Greenland. However, the air traffic control tower at Vágar Airport will not be affected by industrial action, according to Sámal Danielsen, NPFO at Atlantic Airways.

“We are able to land and take off at Vágar without using the long-term weather forecast we normally receive from DMI,” he said.

Two additional airports available

The reason the announced strike in Denmark will not affect flights to the Faroes is that planes heading this way are required to always have additional airports available.

“When we make for Vágar from e.g. Denmark we need to have two additional airports available, and we obviously need to ensure that the weather conditions at those airports are satisfactory before we can head towards the Faroes,” said Danielsen.

Airport staff might go on strike

As long as only DMI staff go on strike, it will not affect flights to the Faroes. However, if other staff members at Danish airports go on strike or lockout, that may have an effect on flights to the Faroes, he added