Greenland Airports
 | |
| Company type | State owned |
|---|---|
| Industry | Airport operator |
| Founded | 1988 (Mittarfeqarfiit) 2016 (Kalaallit Airports) 2024 (Merged to Greenland Airports) |
| Headquarters | Nuuk, Greenland |
Area served | Greenland |
Key people | Henrik Estrup (CEO) Niels Grosen (Operations Director) |
| Revenue | DKK 244 million (2003) |
| DKK -31 million (2003) | |
| DKK -127 million (2005) | |
Number of employees | 450 (2020) |
| Parent | Greenlandic Ministry of Health and Infrastructure |
| Website | airports.gl |
Greenland Airports (Greenlandic: Mittarfeqarfiit) operates and owns all civilian airports in Greenland. The company is 2/3 owned by the Greenlandic Government and 1/3 owned by the Government of Denmark.[1][2]
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'.[3]
The company employs over 450 people, staffed primarily at larger airports. Most 'helistops' are operated by Air Greenland. Greenland Airports also own the hotel in Narsarsuaq as well as most buildings in Kangerlussuaq.
Greenland Airports are regulated by the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority.[4]
For all the airports operated by the authority, see the List of airports in Greenland.
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History
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.[5]
In 1979, a STOL airport was constructed in Nuuk and in Ilulissat in 1984.[6][7] 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.[8][9]
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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 $560 million USD), primarily financed by the Danish state.[10] Kalaallit Airports A/S would build and operate these three new airports.[11]
In April 2024, Kalaallit Airports and Mittarfeqarfiit were merged into a new company called Greenland Airports.[12] The company is 2/3 owned by the Greenland government and 1/3 owned by the Government of Denmark.[1]
International airports
| Airport | Municipality | International connection | Airlines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ilulissat Airport | Avannaata | Seasonal: Reyjavík-Keflavík | Air Greenland[13] Icelandair[14] |
| Kangerlussuaq Airport | Qeqqata | Seasonal: Copenhagen | Air Greenland[13] |
| Kulusuk Airport | Sermersooq | Seasonal: Reyjavík-Keflavík | Icelandair[14] |
| Narsarsuaq Airport | Kujalleq | Seasonal: Reyjavík-Keflavík Copenhagen |
Icelandair[14]Air Greenland |
| Nerlerit Inaat Airport | Sermersooq | Reykjavík | Icelandair[14] |
| Nuuk Airport | Sermersooq | Copenhagen Reykjavík-Keflavík Seasonal: Aalborg, Billund, Newark, Iqaluit |
Air Greenland[13] Icelandair[14] Scandinavian Airlines (seasonal) United Airlines (seasonal) |
See also
References
- ^ a b "Danmark poster flere millioner i grønlandsk lufthavnsbyggeri" (in Danish). Politiken. 4 July 2025.
- ^ Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa (Greenlandic Broadcasting Corporation), 2010/05/05 (in Danish)
- ^ "Organisation". Mittarfeqarfiit A/S (in Danish). Retrieved 2024-11-18.
- ^ "Greenland", The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 2025-08-06, retrieved 2025-08-11
- ^ "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.
- ^ Air Greenland. "50 Års: Grønlandsfly 1980–89 Archived 28 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine". Retrieved 17 May 2010. (in Danish)
- ^ "Our History". Air Greenland. Archived from the original on 23 May 2010. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
- ^ "CGreenlandair 1980–89". Air Greenland. Archived from the original on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Schultz-Nielsen, Jørgen (2018-05-18). "Derfor blev Kalaallit Airports stiftet". www.sermitsiaq.ag (in Danish). Retrieved 2025-08-16.
- ^ "Grønlandsk lufthavnskoncern får nyt navn". Check-in.dk. 16 April 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ a b c Air Greenland, Departures and Arrivals Archived 2010-03-09 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c d e Air Iceland Timetable Archived 2011-01-06 at the Wayback Machine