With the opening of a new runway in Nuuk, the carrier will be closing its long time hub in Kangerlussuaq.
Air Greenland’s sole Airbus A300-800neo seconds before touching down in Kangerlussuaq (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
For most, if not all of Air Greenland’s history, Kangerlussuaq — a town of roughly only 500 people — has been the lifeblood of the country as it features one of the only runways in the entire nation that is long enough to handle Air Greenalnd’s flagship aircraft. Recently, it was the only airline to offer scheduled jet service to the country. But, that is all about to change this week.
After many years of planning and construction, the new longer runway and instrument approach systems opened in the country’s capital of Nuuk, and the airline will move its Copenhagen service to the airport. This also means that all of the connecting traffic from Kangerlussuaq to outer cities in the country will also be moving to Nuuk.
Nuuk’s new instrument approach system (Photo: Greenland Airports)
The following services will be changed during the hub switch from Kangerlussuaq down to Nuuk:
Service from Kangerlussuaq to both Narsarsuaq and Maniitsoq will end completely and move to Nuuk; the last day of service from both communities to Kangerlussuaq was Nov. 26, 2024. Maniitsoq saw six flights per week with no flights on Sunday, and Narsarsuaq saw eight flights a week, with service twice daily on Mondays and Fridays and no flights on Sundays.
Aasiaat and Ilulissat service from Kangerlussuaq will also both completely end and move to Nuuk; the last day from these communities is Nov. 27, 2024. Aasiaat saw between one and two flights per day depending on the season with none of them operating on Sundays, and Ilulissat is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country seeing at least three flights per day during the winter months and sometimes six flights during the summer season.
Service to Sisimiut from Kangerlussuaq will not end completely but will go from two to three flights per day to only three flights per week. The more frequent service will end on Nov. 27, 2024, and the thrice weekly flights will only occur on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
The busiest flight within the country is by far the route between Kangerlussuaq and the country’s capital of Nuuk, which is also where the airline’s headquarters is. Currently, the flights operate at least six to eight times per day but this will stop after Nov. 27, 2024, dropping down to only three flights per week. These flights will be operated on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
The terminal in Kangerlussuaq (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
Perhaps the biggest year-round change of service will be on the airline’s flagship Airbus A330-800neo, whose last flight has already happened and will be the first aircraft larger than a Dash-8~200 to land in Nuuk on Nov. 28, 2024. The final A330 flight from Kangerlussuaq was an emotional occasion and the entire town gathered at the airport for its send-off.
A Flightradar24 screenshot of Air Greenland’s A330 leaving from Kangerlussuaq for the final time (Photo: Flightradar24)
The new runway in Nuuk is considered a win for the country, but it is bittersweet for a lot of residents of Kangerlussuaq as the town was largely built around the airport and its flights with many of the shops opening and closing around the airline’s route to Copenhagen. The hotels and restaurants in the community also cater to tourists who are connecting.
However, with the carrier going from at least 14 flights per day during the winter (not including Sundays) to just six, a lot of the residents in Kangerlussuaq are moving down to Nuuk this month, as their jobs no longer exist in Kangerlussuaq or can’t be sustained without the influx of passengers.
That isn’t to say the airport will never see large aircraft service again, as it probably will. Kangerlussuaq is still the location of a cruise port, so it will still occasionally have charter flights.
AirlineGeeks had a chance to go on Air Greenland’s A330-800neo flight out of Kangerlussuaq, the trip report of which can be found here. We also had the chance to go on the longest Dash-8~200 flight in the world which is operated by the airline from Iceland to Nuuk, and will also no longer be operating soon, as with the new runway, the service will be upgraded to a leased Boeing 737 from Jettime.
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