Wikipedia

Greenland Airports

(Redirected from Greenland Airport Authority)

Greenland Airports A/S (Greenlandic: Mittarfeqarfiit) is a self government-owned company managing civilian airports and heliports in Greenland.[1]

Greenland Airports
Mittarfeqarfiit
TypeSelf government-owned
IndustryAirport operator
Founded1988 (Mittarfeqarfiit)
2016 (Kalaallit Airports)
2024 (Merged to Greenland Airports)
HeadquartersNuuk, Greenland
Area served
Greenland
Key people
  • Jens Wittrup-Willumsen (Chairman)
  • Jens R. Lauridsen (CEO)
RevenueDKK 244 million (2003)
DKK -31 million (2003)
DKK -127 million (2005)
Number of employees
450 (2020)
ParentGovernment of Greenland
Subsidiaries
  • Greenland Airports Regional A/S (100%)
  • Greenland Airports International A/S (66.66%)
Websiteairports.gl

It operates 14 airports, all of which can accommodate fixed-wing STOL operations year-round, and three of which can handle larger airliners. It also operates a large, countrywide network of 43 heliports, of which 8 are primary heliports, while the rest are considered 'helistops'.[2]

The company employs over 450 people, staffed primarily at larger airports. Most 'helistops' are operated by Air Greenland.

Greenland Airports is regulated by the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority.[3]

Tower at Aasiaat Airport

History

edit

Aviation in Greenland was historically primarily reliant on airports built for military purposes during World War II by the United States: Kangerlussuaq Airport, Narsarsuaq Airport and Kulusuk Airport. Towns were served by helicopters through a network of heliports, mostly on the west coast.[4]

In 1979, a STOL airport was constructed in Nuuk and in Ilulissat in 1984.[5][6] Fixed-wing flights using smaller aircraft were now possible, reducing transport costs and increasing service. As a result of its success, in 1998–2007, the Greenlandic Government began building a network of STOL airports in 8 major towns in western Greenland to improve transport by moving away from the dependence on helicopters between towns. The airports built by the Greenlandic government were at Ilulissat, Sisimiut, Aasiaat, Maniitsoq, Qaarsut, Qaanaaq, Upernavik and Paamiut. In conjunction, Mittarfeqarfiit (Greenland Airports) was established.[7][8]

Qaarsut Airport. Most STOLports in Greenland are built in the same style.

In 2016, the state owned company Kalaallit Airports A/S was formed when it was decided that three new or rebuilt airports would be constructed closer to larger population centres in Nuuk, Ilulissat and Qaqortoq. These airports will accommodate larger jet aircraft which can serve international destinations, at a cost of 3.6 billion DKK (approximately US$560 million), primarily financed by the Danish state.[9] Kalaallit Airports A/S would build and operate these three new airports.[10]

Former logo, until 2024.
Nuuk Airport new terminal, opened in 2024. Hub of Air Greenland.

In April 2024, Kalaallit Airports and Mittarfeqarfiit were merged into a new company called Greenland Airports.[11]

Greenland Airports International A/S

edit

In 2016, a project was initiated by the Greenlandic self-government to modernize and expand Nuuk and Ilulissat Airports and construct a new regional Qaqortoq Airport.[12]

The project initially drew international scrutiny when the China Communications Construction Company was pre-qualified as a bidder, rising geopolitical concerns by the United States and Denmark regarding Chinese influence in the Arctic region and ultimately Chinese military presence in the Western hemisphere.[13][14] This led to a Danish intervention in 2018 and 2019 with a funding package of 700 million DKK, and the airports were moved into a new company Greenland Airports International A/S, where the Danish Ministry of Finance got a 33.33% ownership and Greenland Airports retained the remaining 66.66% stake.[13][15] The funding was later seen as insufficient, and the Danish government increased total contributions to more than 1.6 billion DKK, as the company was not determined capable of taking commercial loans.[16]

Nuuk International Airport was officially inaugurated on November 28, 2024, featuring a 2,200 meter runway for direct transatlantic routes, predominantly to and from Denmark, Canada, Iceland, and the United States.[17]

The new Qaqortoq Airport opened on April 16, 2026, replacing Narsarsuaq Airport as Greenland's southern hub.[18]

Illulissat Airport is still ongoing construction as of May 2026, but is scheduled to finish by October 2026.[19]

Airports

edit
AirportMunicipalityInternational connectionAirlines
Ilulissat AirportAvannaataSeasonal: Reyjavík-KeflavíkAir Greenland[20]
Icelandair[21]
Kangerlussuaq AirportQeqqataSeasonal: CopenhagenAir Greenland[20]
Kulusuk AirportSermersooqSeasonal: Reyjavík-KeflavíkIcelandair[21]
Qaqortoq AirportKujalleqSeasonal: Reyjavík-KeflavíkIcelandair[22]
Nerlerit Inaat AirportSermersooqReykjavík

Akureyri

 Norlandair[23]
Nuuk AirportSermersooqCopenhagen
Reykjavík-Keflavík
Seasonal: Aalborg, Billund, Newark, Iqaluit		 Air Greenland[20]
Icelandair[21]
Scandinavian Airlines (seasonal)
United Airlines (seasonal)

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ↑ "Greenland Airports - Mittarfeqarfiit A/S". Danish Business Register – CVR. 2026-05-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ↑ "Organisation". Mittarfeqarfiit A/S (in Danish). Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  3. ↑ "Greenland", The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 2025-08-06, archived from the original on August 20, 2025, retrieved 2025-08-11
  4. ↑ "The forgotten history of the U.S.'s Cold War presence in Greenland". The Washington Post. 2025-03-28. Archived from the original on 2025-03-28. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  5. ↑ Air Greenland. "50 Års: Grønlandsfly 1980–89 Archived 28 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine". Retrieved 17 May 2010. (in Danish)
  6. ↑ "Our History". Air Greenland. Archived from the original on 23 May 2010. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  7. ↑ "CGreenlandair 1980–89". Air Greenland. Archived from the original on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
  8. ↑ Christensen, Linda; Nielsen, Otto Anker; Rich, Jeppe; Knudsen, Mette (2020-03-01). "Optimizing airport infrastructure for a country: The case of Greenland". Research in Transportation Economics. Air Transport Markets, Strategies and Policies. 79 100773. doi:10.1016/j.retrec.2019.100773. ISSN 0739-8859.
  9. ↑ "Regning for grønlandske lufthavne er endt i Danmark efter et besøg i Beijing - TV 2". nyheder.tv2.dk (in Danish). 2025-03-08. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  10. ↑ Schultz-Nielsen, Jørgen (2018-05-18). "Derfor blev Kalaallit Airports stiftet". www.sermitsiaq.ag (in Danish). Retrieved 2025-08-16.
  11. ↑ "Grønlandsk lufthavnskoncern får nyt navn". Check-in.dk. 16 April 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  12. ↑ "Den har kostet knaster og en koalition: Her er Nuuk Lufthavns turbulente landing". KNR (in Danish). Retrieved 2026-05-20.
  13. 1 2 "Den har kostet knaster og en koalition: Her er Nuuk Lufthavns turbulente landing". KNR (in Danish). Retrieved 2026-05-20.
  14. ↑ electricbloomhosting (2018-03-28). "Greenland ignores Danish concerns and shortlists China Communications for $420m airport projects". Global Construction Review. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
  15. ↑ "Danmark poster flere millioner i grønlandsk lufthavnsbyggeri" (in Danish). Politiken. 4 July 2025.
  16. ↑ Menini, Bernardo Basilici (2019-03-26). "Danish state agrees co-ownership of two new international airports in Greenland". The Copenhagen Post. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
  17. ↑ DEFIS, European Commission- (2025-12-29). "International airport opens in Nuuk, Greenland | EU Space Policy". eu-space.europa.eu. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
  18. ↑ Ingvadóttir, Fanney Sigrún (2026-05-08). "A New Era for South Greenland as Qaqortoq Airport Opens". Arctic Portal - The Arctic Gateway. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
  19. ↑ "Airport opening dates for Qaqortoq and Ilulissat airports". Greenland Airports. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
  20. 1 2 3 Air Greenland, Departures and Arrivals Archived 2010-03-09 at the Wayback Machine
  21. 1 2 3 Air Iceland Timetable Archived 2011-01-06 at the Wayback Machine
  22. ↑ "Qaqortoq Airport". Icelandair. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  23. ↑ "Norlandair Flight Schedule". Archived from the original on 16 May 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Greenland_Airports&oldid=1359452309"