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41-482: Administratively they belong to the Sermersooq municipality. This island group was named by Carl Ryder in the course of his 1891–92 East Greenland Expedition , because a bear was shot while the islands were being surveyed on 4 September 1891. Individual islands were not assigned names, but in 1934 they were numbered I to XI following the first survey carried out by Eduard Wenk and Helge Backlund . Members of

82-713: A challenge for the Government of Greenland. Air connections were essential for cruise ship passengers, as staying onboard from Europe or the USA and back is often too time-consuming and expensive. Some cruise ships took the extended route to Kangerlussuaq to facilitate passenger exchange (as there is no suitable port, passengers must transfer to small boats), while others utilize the Nuuk-Kangerlussuaq feeder flights. However, these flights had insufficient capacity for cruise ships. Direct charter flights were desired. Expanding

123-549: A network connecting Greenland). A decision was made to extend the runway to 2,200 m (7,200 ft), build a new terminal, expanded apron and service buildings in 2016. The state-owned company Kalaallit Airports A/S was formed, to manage the airport expansion. It would build or rebuild (extend) the airports in Nuuk, Ilulissat and Qaqortoq , and thereafter own them. Construction began at Nuuk Airport in November 2019. With

164-592: A passenger terminal, and a cargo terminal operated by Air Greenland. It serves as the hub and technical base for Air Greenland. Navigational aids serving the airport include ILS, GH NDB, LOC instrument approach and distance measuring equipment . A new terminal opened in June 2024, which introduced security checks for the first time at Nuuk Airport. The terminal has four gates, separated for Schengen /Non-Schengen areas and passport control facilities. Six of Air Greenland 's Bombardier Dash 8-Q200 turboprops are based at

205-519: Is , lit.   'place of much ice') is a municipality in Greenland , formed on 1 January 2009 from five earlier, smaller municipalities. Its administrative seat is the city of Nuuk (formerly called Godthåb), the capital of Greenland, and it is the most populous municipality in the country, with 23,123 inhabitants as of January 2020. The municipality consists of former municipalities of eastern and southwestern Greenland, each named after

246-606: Is bordered by the Qeqqata municipality, and further north by the Qeqertalik and Avannaata municipalities. The latter two borders however run north–south through the center ( 45° West meridian ) of the Greenland ice sheet ( Greenlandic : Sermersuaq ) − and as such are free of traffic. In the north the municipality is bordered by the Northeast Greenland National Park beyond Cape Biot , at

287-410: Is located 2  NM (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) northeast of Nuuk Centrum . The former suburbs of Nuuk, such as Nuussuaq , Quassussuup Tungaa , and Qinngorput , incorporated into the town in the last decade, have brought the city closer to the airport. As of 2010 the airport is within walking distance of the nearest continuously inhabited area, its runway approximately 700 m (2,300 ft) from

328-406: Is one of two municipalities straddling the western and eastern sides of the island, but is the only municipality where settlements on both coasts are connected via scheduled flights from Nuuk Airport to Kulusuk Airport and Nerlerit Inaat Airport and reverse, operated year-round by Air Greenland . There are also local flights between Nuuk and Paamiut Airport on the west coast. Kalaallisut ,

369-440: The U.S. Air Force when the former Sondrestrom Air Base was handed over to the then home rule government on 30 September 1992. With the airport being limited to serving small planes, the possibilities for international connections remained limited. Icelandair opened a direct route from Reykjavik to Nuuk in 2007. In order to compete with Icelandair , which operates services to Nuuk, Narsarsuaq , Ilulissat, and all airports on

410-582: The University of Greenland campus. There is an alpine ski course only 200 metres (660 ft) from the airport terminal. In the early 1960s, after the establishment of Air Greenland on 7 November 1960 as Grønlandsfly , Nuuk was served exclusively by the PBY Catalina flying boat , with the aircraft using the waterways of the Nuuk Port as a landing site. In 1962 a PBY Catalina crashed near

451-548: The 1934 surveying group climbed parts of the spectacular ridges of islands VI and IX ( Första Nålbrevet and Sista Nålbrevet ). Further climbs were reported in 1978 by an expedition of the British Army . The Bjorne Islands are a cluster of small islands that lie in the Hall Gulf (Hall Bredning) , off the right side of the mouth of Ofjord , south of the mouth of Nordvestfjord . 8 km (5.0 mi) The southern tip of

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492-433: The 2024 season using its Dash 8 . The airport is also used for various charter flights, such as airlifts to the summit of the 1,210 m (3,970 ft) Sermitsiaq Mountain, a landmark of Nuuk, located on Sermitsiaq Island north of the airport. The airport is also used for shuttle flights for events like the 2010 Inuit Circumpolar Council general assembly in Nuuk. and for the 2016 Arctic Winter Games . In general

533-626: The S-61N helicopters continued to link Nuuk with the smaller town of Paamiut , until the airport was built there in 2007, replacing the old heliport. Nuuk Airport was constructed in 1979, when the then newly formed home rule government decided to create a network of the STOL -capable domestic airports. Nuuk airport was originally constructed with one asphalt runway (05/23) 950 m × 30 m (3,117 ft × 98 ft) 283 ft (86 m) above sea level. The airport terminal and apron

574-624: The West Greenlandic dialect is spoken in the towns and settlements of the western coast. Danish is also in use in the bigger towns. Tunumiit oraasiat, the East Greenlandic dialect, is spoken on the eastern coast. Nuuk Airport Nuuk Airport ( Greenlandic : Mittarfik Nuuk , Danish : Nuuk Lufthavn , formerly Godthåb Lufthavn in Danish) ( IATA : GOH , ICAO : BGGH ) is an international airport serving Nuuk ,

615-414: The aim to keep the airport operational during construction, the southern part of the new runway was built first and opened in November 2022, with the same declared length of 950 metres. The old runway was then removed and the rest of the new runway was then constructed, while the southern section was still operational. The new runway overlaps the old runway. The new terminal building and accompanying apron

656-426: The airport serving both the village and the larger town of Uummannaq , located on the rocky Uummannaq Island . Due to the commercial inviability of international flights to Canada and Iceland using smaller STOL aircraft, for years afterwards international flights to Greenland were limited to Kangerlussuaq Airport in central western Greenland, 319 km (198 mi) to the north of Nuuk, an airport inherited from

697-427: The airport, including cost, flight safety, commercial effects on Air Greenland and implications on service frequency to other areas of Greenland. Operational challenges for an extended Nuuk Airport included challenging weather and geographical constraints. Rough weather in the region was cited as life-threatening to larger airplanes, given the additional difficulty of approach in a mountainous region. The northern end of

738-559: The airport. Line 3 of Nuup Bussii connects the airport with Nuuk Centrum , passing through the Nuussuaq and Quassussuup Tungaa districts on the way. Buses depart from the airport every hour during rush hours Monday to Friday. Taxis operated by Nuna Taxa are also available. Limited-time parking for private cars is available outside the terminal. Nuuk Airport is depicted in the 2013 film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty , with an Air Greenland widebody aircraft landing there. However

779-463: The border running alongside Alanngorsuaq Fjord . The waters flowing around the western coastline of the municipality are that of Labrador Sea , which to the north narrows down to form Davis Strait separating the island of Greenland from Baffin Island . In the southwest, Ikka Fjord is best known for its eponymous ikaite columns, of a scale unknown anywhere else. In the northwest, the municipality

820-450: The capital of Greenland . The airport is the hub and technical base for Air Greenland , the flag carrier airline of Greenland, linking the capital with almost all towns in the country and international destinations. International routes are also provided by Icelandair on a year-round basis as well as SAS and United Airlines on a seasonal basis. Most international journeys to or from Greenland pass through this airport. The airport

861-426: The coastal fogs , storms, heavy snowfall, and frequent turbulence prevalent near the coastline. However, since 2010 there were few suitable aircraft that can be purchased which have more than 30 seats and can use short runways like Nuuk. When the existing Dash-8 200 retire or more aircraft are needed, a longer runway is necessary. These well-substantiated arguments in favor of maintaining the prior arrangement posed

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902-466: The eastern coast, Air Greenland announced opening of new connections with Iceland, linking Nuuk and Narsarsuaq with Keflavík International Airport , later restricting it to Nuuk. Air Greenland's seasonal flights to Iqaluit in Canada finally resumed in summer 2012, but ended before summer 2015. Air Greenland relaunched its summer seasonal route between Nuuk and Iqaluit with a once-weekly frequency for

943-547: The hub. Air Greenland announced additional routes in 2025 using leased Boeing 737 aircraft to Billund and Aalborg as well as an additional flight to Copenhagen via Kangerlussaq in cooperation with a local travel agency. The route to from Nuuk to Billund Airport will also stopover at Keflavík International Airport , expanding Air Greenland's capacity to Iceland. Icelandair also plans to increase service to Reykjavík-Keflavík International Airport with larger aircraft, initially using De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 when

984-538: The large planes for flights to Denmark. These are located a few kilometres south of Nuuk and would need a bridge or tunnel connection. Such a project could cost somewhere around 2–3 billion DKK. Another alternative proposed involved making Keflavík Airport (Iceland's primary international airport) the international hub, in proximity to Kangerlussuaq, and slightly expanding the Nuuk Airport runway to accommodate small jet planes. ( Icelandair has already established

1025-464: The largest settlement at the time of formation: The municipality is located in south-central and eastern Greenland, with an area of 531,900 km (205,367.7 sq mi). As of 2018, it is the largest municipality in the world by area, following the split of the former Qaasuitsup . As of January 2013 its population was 17,498. In the south, it is flanked by the Kujalleq municipality, with

1066-511: The largest town in the Disko Bay region of western Greenland. This constituted the first such wave of network expansion. The first international flights from Nuuk Airport were to Iqaluit in Nunavut , Canada, operated from 1981 until it was discontinued due to commercial inviability in 1994. Flights to Reykjavik , Iceland via Kulusuk also began in 1981. It was not until the 1990s that

1107-767: The network experienced another spurt of large-scale growth, when the airports in the remaining larger towns were built: Sisimiut Airport in Sisimiut and Maniitsoq Airport in Maniitsoq in central-western Greenland, Aasiaat Airport in the Disko Bay region, Upernavik Airport in Upernavik in northwestern Greenland, and Qaarsut Airport , an airport in Qaarsut , a settlement in the Uummannaq Fjord region;

1148-539: The new runway opens, and serving Nuuk with Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in summer 2025. On 10 October 2024, United Airlines announced that they will launch a new direct flight from Newark to Nuuk operating twice weekly, beginning on 14 June 2025. Also in October, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) announced a new route from Copenhagen to Nuuk for the summer 2025 season, operating 3 flights per week - SAS last served Greenland (to Kangerlussuaq ) in 2009. Nuuk Airport has

1189-677: The northern end of Fleming Fjord . In the east, near the settlement of Ittoqqortoormiit , the municipal shores straddle the Kangertittivaq fjord, which opens to the cold Greenland Sea . The southeastern shores are bordered by the Anorituup Kangerlua fjord of the Irminger Sea in the North Atlantic Ocean . Sermersooq's municipal council consists of 19 members, elected every four years. Sermersooq

1230-422: The port, killing 15 people on board. The tragedy was one of the factors leading to the decision to invest in a helicopter fleet. The Sikorsky S-61 N machines proved to be a more reliable mode of transport for the city, providing exclusive service for the Nuuk city for more than a decade—from the purchase date in 1965 until the late 1970s. Even in the later era of the fixed-wing , turboprop plane domination,

1271-513: The runway was less than 700 m (2,300 ft) from the shore of Nuup Kangerlua fjord. An expansion of the runway in that direction would require relocation of the connecting road, which climbs under the runway scarp. An extension of the runway in the other direction would have brought the endpoint close to Qinngorput , the newest district of Nuuk, which was rapidly expanding in the late 2000s. Also, concerns were raised regarding maintaining air service to Nuuk during construction. Air Greenland

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1312-491: The runway would bolster cruise ship tourism. Suggestions were to extend it from 950 m (3,117 ft) to 1,199 m (3,934 ft), to 1,700 m (5,600 ft), or 2,200 m (7,200 ft) (the longest possible) the latter would allow direct flights to Denmark. Another suggested alternative was to build a new airport on one of the islands of Angisunnguaq or Qeqertarssuaq , locations having less turbulence, and allowing 2,800 m (9,200 ft) runway needed for

1353-596: The short runway was a problem for large events in Nuuk. Most, charter, VIP and extra flights from outside Greenland could not land in Nuuk (or any other city of Greenland), so Air Greenland needed to shuttle passengers between Kangerlussuaq and Nuuk, using planes much smaller than the charter planes, often requiring a hotel night in Kangerlussuaq. Considering the growth of Nuuk as a commercial and administrative centre in Greenland as well as increasing tourism, there

1394-404: The southernmost island rises 6 km (3.7 mi) north of Bregnepynt, the northeastern end of Milne Land . The biggest two islands are about 7.5 km (4.7 mi) in length. This Greenland location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Sermersooq Sermersooq ( Greenlandic pronunciation: [sɜm.mɜs.sɔːq̚] , Danish : Sted med meget

1435-491: Was a need to improve flight connections to the country's capital. More than a third of Greenland's populace resides in Nuuk and the majority of the country's significant institutions situated in the city. The requirement to change planes in Kangerlussuaq for most international flights proved costly and time-consuming for passengers, particularly for larger groups utilizing long-distance charter planes. The short runway

1476-678: Was built on a levelled platform on an undulating slope under the Quassussuaq mountain, with the runway platform artificially elevated to compensate for the scarp immediately to the west. The runway platform bed was composed of broken rock and rubble, topped with gravel, and was protected by a low, wooden fence. The airport in the largest city in Greenland was a priority for the government, followed by Kulusuk Airport in Kulusuk in south-eastern Greenland, and Ilulissat Airport in Ilulissat ,

1517-463: Was highly problematic, as it made the airfield unusable even for regional jet aircraft (for instance the Bombardier CRJ family ), instead requiring highly-specialised STOL -capable aircraft to be used, which are both limited in size and numbers. The airport expansion issue had been a long-standing topic of controversy in Greenland. Many challenges and issues arose in deciding the future of

1558-410: Was initially resistant to relocating its hub, pointing out the financial implications of such a move, and highlighting the consistently favourable weather conditions at Kangerlussuaq. Situated deep inland, about 30 km (19 mi) from the fringe of the Greenland ice sheet (known as Greenlandic : Sermersuaq ), Kangerlussuaq benefits from excellent infrastructure and unhindered visibility, unlike

1599-479: Was opened in summer 2024. Subsequently, the old terminal and control tower were demolished in September 2024, as they were located too close for the new runway operations. The new control tower was commissioned in the same month. The only parts of the existing airport that exist after the expansion are Air Greenland's maintenance hangers, the airport's old service building and the original apron. The original runway

1640-402: Was originally constructed for STOL -capable aircraft in 1979. In 2024, the airport was comprehensively rebuilt and expanded, including a runway extension and a new terminal, which will allows larger jet aircraft to serve more international destinations. Previously, longer-distance jet traffic was operated from Kangerlussuaq Airport , necessating transfers and longer journey times. The airport

1681-415: Was removed, rebuilt and extended. The rebuilt runway was opened on 28 November 2024, when operations on the full extended 2,200m runway began. Between 26 and 28 November 2024, Air Greenland transitioned its hub from Kangerlussuaq Airport to Nuuk, along with its Copenhagen route operated using its Airbus A330-800 . Domestic routes to Kangerlussuaq Airport were cut considerably with the transition of

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