On Thursday, a new airport will open in Greenland’s third-largest town, Ilulissat, on the western coast in Disko Bay.
The first flight undertaken by the airport will be an Air Greenland flight from Copenhagen that will land at 11:40 local time (14:40 Danish time) and will depart for return to Copenhagen at 13:15 (16:15 Danish time).
The new airport replaces Ilulissat’s old 845-metre airstrip and is the last of Greenland’s three new airports, after Nuuk and Qaqortoq.
Greenland Airports expansion
This opening marks the conclusion of a significant expansion project undertaken by Greenland Airports, the publicly owned airport operator.
Greenland Airports is the 2024 product of a merger of the airport administration Mittarfeqarfiit and Kalaallit Airports, a company owned by Greenland’s Self-Government.
This opening is the swan song of departing director Jens Lauridsen, who departs his role at the start of next month, according to KNR.
Approval achieved
Overnight into Thursday, Ilulissat Airport achieved approval from the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority for its safety measures, meaning the planned flights can go ahead.
Deputy Director General at the Authority, Lars Korsholm, confirmed this in a press release, “We have, after a long series of inspections and a test flight, approved that the airport meets the necessary level of safety required to operate a modern, international airport.”
Celebrations at Copenhagen Airport
The departure of the flight from Copenhagen Airport was celebrated with cupcakes and flags, and the Prime Minister of Greenland, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, was on board.
At the gate, he was joined by Danish Finance Minister Peter Hummelgaard, as the Danish state is part-owner of the new airport in Greenland.
In an interview with KNR, Jacob Nitter Sørensen, Air Greenland’s CEO, celebrated the opening and Thursday’s departure.
He said of the state of Greenlandic aviation, “To put it very, very simply, we’re moving from building airports to using them.”
He went on to add, “I look forward to us now entering this new reality. And hopefully that we can generate substantial growth for the benefit of everyone out there.”
