Review of Air Greenland flight from Kangerlussuaq to Nuuk in Economy

The aviation history of Greenland has been linked to Kangerlussuaq Airport since 1941. The airport was built by the US Air Force during World War II. Greenland was – and still is – part of Denmark, and when the Scandinavian country was occupied by Nazi Germany, Greenland was occupied, following an agreement with the Danish ambassador in Washington, by the United States. The airport was mostly used to ferry military personal and equipment from the US and Canada to Iceland and the United Kingdom. The airport was known as Bluie West Eight (BW-8) between 1941 and 1945 and later as Søndre Strømfjord in Danish and Sondrestromfjord in English. It became Greenland’s main civilian airport after the war, with some of the transatlantic flights refuelling here, mostly in the 50s and the 60s. The airport was fully handed to Greenlandic civilian control only in 1992. The airport has a runway of 2,810 meters where all aircraft types can land.

Greenland gained home rule in 1979. The capital of Greenland, Nuuk, got its first airport the same year. It only had a short runway of 950 meters. Almost all passengers travelling between Copenhagen and Nuuk have to fly to Kangerlussuaq using Air Greenland’s only widebody plane, an A330 with 305 seats, and change there to smaller, 37 seater Dash 8-200 planes. This is not only time consuming but more importantly very expensive, and a major obstacle to the development of tourism, considered necessary for Greenland to be financially – and therefore politically – independent from Denmark. Kangerlussuaq is a small town of which the only raison d’être is the airport itself.

One of the main political issues in Greenland has been, for decades, the construction of a longer runway (and a new terminal building) in Nuuk that allows direct flights from Denmark and other parts of the world. Construction costs are high in Greenland and the country has limited financial resources, so the project was postponed again and again. A decision was finally taken in 2016. The new terminal was inaugurated in June 2024 and the new runway is expected to be functional in November 2024.

I flew from Kangerlussauq to Nuuk between these two dates. Kangerlussuaq Airport will not be fully closed – it will be used by the Danish Air Force and NATO and there will be a few scheduled civilian flights – but the opening of the new runway in Nuuk and the end of the direct flights from Copenhagen to Kangerlussuaq will be the town's death sentence in practical terms. This was my 8th trip to Greenland and my 26th flight to or from Kangerlussuaq – and quite possibly the last one.

Air Greenland’s A330 at Kangerlussuaq Airport.

I was there as a guide for a group of tourists. We went to the glaciers of the ice sheet using this bus:

Our first stop was to see the wrecks of a US Air Force Lockhead T-33 plane that crashed in bad weather in 1968. All crew members survived.

I took this photo almost twenty years ago – I forgot to take one this time.

Our next stop was a viewpoint to this beautiful lake.

Approaching the ice sheet.

The Reindeer Glacier.

Kangerlussuaq Airport’s architectural style can be described as functional. It cannot be mixed up with Singapore’s Changi Airport.

An Air Greenland truck in front of the terminal building.

The check-in desks. Most passengers are here on connecting flights.

There were about 16 departures that day. We took the last flight.

Some modern art at the airport.

Tour desk for the local tour operators.

There’s a cafeteria that offers simple food. 

Kangerlussuaq’s iconic signpost.

All of Air Greenland’s scheduled domestic fixed-wing flights are operated by one of the seven Dash 8-200 planes. It’s the perfect plane for short runways. The same planes are used for flights from Greenland to Keflavík in Iceland and Iqaliut in Canada.

We had beautiful weather on the day of our flight. The flight was almost completely full as always.

Boarding was quick. Engines were started exactly on time at 16.30.

You can sport the Arktisk Kommando – Arctic Command sign in the background. The other side of the airport is used by the military.

We took off from runway 27 and immediately had some nice views.

Air Greenland offers complimentary water, tea and coffee on its domestic flights. 

Flying over Greenland at low altitude offers some of the most beautiful views in the world. The typical cruising altitude is 24,000 feet.

Approaching Nuuk.

You can see Nuuk’s prison in the background.

Works are going on the new runway.

Some of Air Greenland’s fleet on the ground.

The cabin after landing.

The new terminal seen from airside. You can’t compare it to the old one.

I took the following photos two days later, before my flight from Nuuk to Kulusuk and Keflavík.

The new terminal building from the outside. 

The new terminal building inside. Some works were still being carried out.

The view from the check-in area to the gate area.

Café Sumut was not open yet. 

Free coffee, tea and pastries were available for the departing passengers.