Stornoway Diamond Corporation (TSX:SWY), BHP Billiton Diamonds Inc. (BHP Billiton) and Hunter Exploration Group today are pleased to announce that the first phase of drilling has commenced on the Aviat Project on the Melville Peninsula in the Territory of Nunavut. A total of three phases of drilling, testing a minimum of 25 targets with 30 to 50 holes are planned for the property between the months of April and October, 2005. 

This first phase of drilling will test a variety of high priority, lake based, geophysical targets situated throughout the 75 km long Tremblay Corridor and will include two targets located within the lake which hosts the diamondiferous AV-1 kimberlite.

The second phase of drilling is expected to commence around late May and will focus in the immediate vicinity of AV-1 where a total of six diamondiferous kimberlite bodies have been identified to date. Till sampling results from 2004 have identified new, anomalous concentrations of kimberlitic indicator minerals in the region which remain unsourced at the present time. In addition, kimberlite AV5, which represents a surface concentration of diamondiferous hypabyssal kimberlite boulders situated in close proximity to AV-1, will be drill tested for the first time. AV-5 returned 93 diamonds from the processing of 48 kilograms of kimberlite collected in 2004. 

The third phase of drilling will commence in mid to late July and will test targets generated from final results of 2004 till sampling and airborne geophysical surveying programs.

To date, six diamondiferous kimberlites have been discovered on the property, including the AV-1 kimberlite which has produced an initial sample grade of 0.83 carats/tonne from the processing of 10.4 tonnes of kimberlite.

The Aviat Project is a joint venture between Stornoway Diamond Corporation (70%), BHP Billiton (20%) and Hunter Exploration Group and occupies 4.5 million acres on the Melville Peninsula, north of Hudson Bay.

Stornoway is a diamond exploration company with extensive landholdings (approximately 22 million acres) located in ten key project areas in northern Canada. Stornoway will directly spend more than $15 million to explore our properties and, together with its partners, will be exposed to more than $22 million in exploration expenditures in 2005.

Stornoway's diamond exploration programs are conducted under the direction of Robin Hopkins, P.Geol. (NT/NU), a qualified person under NI 43-101.

On behalf of the Board
STORNOWAY DIAMOND CORPORATION
/s/ "Eira Thomas"
Eira Thomas