Unfortunately, and with great disappointment, the very difficult decision was taken to postpone this year's ARG expedition. The main reason for this is the sudden, unexpected strike by SAS Airways pilots just before our advance party was due to depart for Svalbard. This made getting to the archipelago infeasible.
The decision is a 12-month deferral of the expedition so that there is sufficient time for these issues to be resolved and for members to be able to re-book holidays. Weather windows, ongoing uncertainties over SAS, and the fact that most expedition members cannot easily adjust their time off from work at short notice meant that a shorter delay was not feasible. We are looking forward to a highly productive and enjoyable expedition next year.