ENTHUSIAST ’ S CORNER
Ralf Kurz CONTRIBUTOR
Welcome Tuukkaq Goodbye Kangerlussuaq
Greenland is the largest island in the world . With an area of 2,166,084km2 ( 836,326 square miles ), fourth-fifths of its land mass is covered by a thick layer of ice all year round . As a result , the 56,000 inhabitants live in a few places on the west coast , where fishing is the main source of income . As a former colony of the Kingdom of Denmark , Greenland was granted autonomous territory status in 1979 , with its own government and parliament .
FOR MANY CENTURIES , the island was only accessible by sea . But , during World War II , military strategists became aware of Greenland ’ s favorable location for air operations between the USA and Europe . Within a very short time , landing strips were built to secure supply routes away from the settlements , at the end of fjords , which were ideal for erecting runways . Three of these airports are still in operation today , but far away from the real life in the colorful coastal towns .
In the south lies the Narsarsuaq airfield . Built in 1942 , it has a 1,839m ( 6,000ft ) concrete runway sloping down to the bay . High up in the north , the 3,048m ( 10,000ft ) long asphalt runway of the Thule Air Base defies the permafrost at 77 degrees latitude . Last , but not least , the runway of the former Kangerlussuaq military base , with a length of 2,810m ( 9,220ft ), was until now the international hub for Air Greenland ( GL ).
In order to make further travel possible , two smaller airports were opened : one in 1979 in the capital , Nuuk , and one in 1984 in the Ilulissat tourist hotspot .
Their 950m ( 3,116ft ) and 845m ( 2,772ft ) runways were blasted out of the rugged rocky coast at an immense expense . From there , GL would operate feeder flights to Kangerlussuaq , initially with the iconic DHC-7-100 , later with the faster DHC-8-200 .
Since the construction of five more mini airports between 1998 and 2000 , the fleet of Dash 8s has grown to the current eight aircraft . The short 799m ( 2,621ft ) runways in Aasiaat , Maniitsoq , Paamiut , Sisimiut , and Upernavik were precisely tailored to these turboprops , which have proven to be reliable workhorses for Air Greenland .
The globally booming tourism industry is playing a growing role regarding Greenland ’ s economic life . In 2023 , just 140,000 guests visited the still untouched Arctic natural paradise . This is exactly why reliable transport connections are an indispensable part of achieving the associated income targets .
The government therefore opted for a visionary mega-concept . What is by far the largest and most expensive infrastructure project in Greenland ’ s
16 AIRWAYS MAGAZINE MARCH 2025 www . airwaysmag . com