Fly Sarvaq starts ticket sales for Iqaluit-Ottawa flights

Iqaluit's newest air service is now open for business.

Fly Sarvaq announced in January it would offer seats onone-way flights fromIqaluitto Ottawa and Halifax for as little as $499. The company began selling tickets by telephone Tuesday morning.

Fly Sarvaq is a partnership between Iqaluit-basedSarvaq Logistics and Nolinor Aviation.

Allen Hayward, who's with FlySarvaq, said while thatprice is available as a preliminary seat sale,prices won't always be that low.

But, he said, the air service's more expensive tickets at $1,800 for a return flight to Ottawa or Halifax are still cheaper than the competition.

If a passenger were to fly tomorrow on First Air or Canadian North, they would pay around $3,000 return from Iqaluit to Ottawa for the most expensive fare, according to the airlines' websites.

Hayward said ticket sales have been brisk, despite some technical difficulties with the website.