ENTHUSIAST ’ S CORNER Greenland history should make the nation fit for all the challenges of the coming decades . Three new airports with jet-capable runways are planned as a guarantee of success . In addition to state-of-the-art terminals , both Nuuk and Ilulissat will each have 2,200m ( 7,217ft ) runways . In the south , at Qaqortoq , which is now only accessible by helicopter , a 1,500m ( 4,921ft ) runway will at least allow the use of medium-haul jets .
While the rebuilt and expanded Nuuk airport opened at the end of 2024 , after five years of construction , the two other projects are not expected to be completed before 2027 at an estimated cost of US $ 800 million . In 2019 , when the project was announced , the offer made by Chinese companies to build the new airports was turned down amid harsh criticism . Instead , the Danish Munck construction group has been in charge of the project , committed to employing as many Greenlanders as possible in order to give the domestic labor market a boost .
From a geological point of view , the engineers have been facing enormous challenges . As the Greenland rock is among the hardest in the world , Munck has been using specially-designed construction machinery . Due to the weather conditions , the asphalting of the new runways can only take place in July and August . In order to achieve the required of 2,200m ( 7,217ft ) length , the runway heading had to be changed from 05 / 23 to 04 / 22 . The approach lights in the direction of runway 04 are perched on an impressive steel stint structure 100m ( 330ft ) above the harbor bay below .
The new airport terminal in Nuuk is the central element of the ambitious construction project . Designed by the Danish architect firm Zeso , it blends harmoniously into the surrounding landscape .
On the outside , the no-frills building looks as if it is being prepared to stand up to every vagary of the Arctic weather . Inside , a Nordic simplistic architecture with lots of wood creates a cozy atmosphere . Four check-in counters and eight ticket machines enable the processing of 800 passengers per hour . From the glass-walled visitor gallery , you can look down one level into the departure level with six gates . The duty-free shop dominates , with innovative selfcheckouts and intelligent lockers for pre ordered goods .
www . airwaysmag . com AIRWAYS MAGAZINE MARCH 2025 17