Greenland has been in the news a lot in the past few months, and with the opening of the new expanded runway in the country’s capital of Nuuk, many carriers are introducing service to the country. The country’s flag carrier, Air Greenland, moved its trunk international route on the Airbus A330-800neo from Kangerlussuaq to Nuuk as well.
But, the airline has also announced further expansion, with a new addition to its fleet: the carrier’s first narrowbody jet, which they signed a lease for on Feb. 14 that will last for six years once delivered to the company.
In the past with new aircraft like the A330-800neo and the A330-200, the carrier ordered the aircraft directly from Airbus, but a brand new jet could take six or seven years to be delivered straight from the factory. Air Greenland will be leasing a single Airbus A320neo from a company called Carlyle and is expected to join the airline’s fleet in its distinctive red livery in December 2026.
The delivery of the aircraft in late 2026 will line up with the opening of another expanded runway in the country, this time in the city of Ililissat, and will be ready to serve that community and others for the busy Summer 2027 tourist season.
Pilot Training
The introduction of this aircraft will also mean it will be retraining some pilots, more specifically from its Airbus A330-800neo, so that they will be able to fly not only the widebody aircraft but the new narrowbody A320neo as well. The carrier will also be retraining a handful of Dash-8 pilots to fly the new A320neo, although the exact number has not yet been determined. Its A320neo will be maintained by SAS in Copenhagen, similar to the A330-800neo.
The name of this new aircraft has not yet been chosen, and will be added to the airline’s current fleet of one Airbus A330-800, and eight Dash-8~200s, the latter of which are used primarily for domestic operations within Greenland, along with the occasional international flights to nearby Canada and Iceland.
