Daniel T'seleie
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (June 06/05) - Snow accumulation on the antenna of Iqaluit's instrument landing system (ILS) diverted two airborne flights to Kuujjuaq, Quebec, Monday afternoon.

The system was fixed within a matter of hours.

"It's nothing like the problem we had a week ago," said Nav Canada spokesperson Ron Singer, referring to a three-day closure of the Iqaluit Airport just before the May long weekend.

The ILS helps planes land in conditions of poor visibility. The previous problem required Nav Canada to fly in supplies and technicians from Ottawa and Montreal to repair the broken system.

Monday's problem was fixed by an Iqaluit technician who merely had to, "brush the snow from the antenna," Singer said.

Though not a "technical expert" Iqaluit's airport manager, John Graham, says this is not a common problem in his experience.

This type of malfunction occurs when temperatures hover around freezing, and the snow is wet and sticky, Singer said.