Аэропорт Нуук: История и перспективы развития

Airport in Nuuk, Greenland

Nuuk Airport (; Nuuk lufthavn, previously Godthåb lufthavn) is an airport serving Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. The airport is a technical base and focus city for Air Greenland, the flag carrier airline of Greenland, linking the capital with several towns in western and south western part of the country, including the airline hub at Kangerlussuaq Airport. With connections to Iceland, Nuuk Airport is also one of six international airports in Greenland but serves only destinations within Greenland and Iceland. International connections are made with flights to either Keflavík International Airport in Iceland or Kangerlussuaq Airport. In the early 1960s, seaplanes of the newly established Air Greenland landed in Nuuk Port. In 1965, the airline invested in developing a more robust fleet based on the large Sikorsky S 61 helicopter, which continued to serve the town for the next four decades, even after the construction of an airport in Nuuk capable of serving the short takeoff and landing (STOL) de Havilland Canada Dash 7 aircraft, which have been predominant since the 1970s. The airport was constructed to serve the largest town in Greenland, yet due to space constraints at the location in a mountainous area and problems with the weather, it is unable to service large airliners or flights reaching Denmark or other countries, except for Iceland. Sometimes, in connection with events, aircraft for VIP flights are chartered which unable to reach Nuuk, a change to a small local aircraft (normally at Kangerlussuaq Airport) is always needed in those cases. A large expansion of the airport has been controversial due to the approach near the urbanized area of the outlying districts of Nuuk, although the issue continues to be a subject of internal debate in Greenland. A new international airport is slated for completion in 2024.

The airport is located northeast Nuuk was served exclusively by the PBY Catalina flying boat, with the aircraft using the waterways of the Nuuk Port as a landing site.—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.

Nuuk Airport was built in 1979, when the then newly formed home rule government decided to create a network of the STOL capable domestic airports. The airport in the largest city in Greenland was a priority for the government, followed by Kulusuk Airport Aasiaat Airport in the Disko Bay region, located on the rocky Uummannaq Island.

The first international flights from Nuuk Airport were to Iqaluit in Nunavut, Canada. This connection was closed 13 years later, In order to compete with Icelandair, which operates services to Nuuk, Narsarsuaq, Ilulissat, and all airports on 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 will relaunch its summer seasonal route between Nuuk and Iqaluit at once weekly frequency for the 2024 season with its Dash 8. and are based at the airport. Nuuk Airport is also home to the Beechcraft King Air B200 "Amaalik", used for air ambulance flights and occasional charters. The airport is also used for various charter flights, such as airlifts to the summit of the 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 the short runway is a problem for large events in Nuuk. Charter and extra flights from outside Greenland can not land in Nuuk (or any other city of Greenland), so Air Greenland need to shuttle passengers between Kangerlussuaq and Nuuk, using planes much smaller than the charter planes, often requiring a hotel night in Kangerlussuaq.

Nuuk airport has one asphalt runway (05/23) 283 feet (86 m) above sea level. to , or (the longest possible) the latter which would allow direct flights to Denmark, but only with medium size jet aircraft such as the Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 instead of the large Airbus A330 used at present. As a result, more flights are needed. A decision has been made to extend the runway to In 2016 the state owned company Kalaallit Airports A/S was formed. It shall build or rebuild (extend) the airports in Nuuk, Ilulissat and Qaqortoq, and thereafter own them. Construction start was November 2019. The time plan, which has the aim to keep traffic going, is to build the southern extension until July 2021, use it for air activities and to build the rest of the new runway and new terminal building and finish the project in 2024. Operations on the southern extension began in November 2022.

In contrast to Nuuk Airport, the airport in Kangerlussuaq retains the capacity to accommodate large airliners and serves as the central hub for Air Greenland, the designated flag carrier of Greenland. Despite its minimal population, Kangerlussuaq primarily functions as a transit point for changing aircraft. Shifting the hub to Nuuk would eliminate the need for aircraft changes for numerous travellers, necessitating a runway extension to approximately
Air Greenland is 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 from the fringe of the Greenland ice sheet (known as ), Kangerlussuaq benefits from excellent infrastructure and unhindered visibility, unlike the coastal fogs, storms, heavy snowfall, and frequent turbulence prevalent near the coastline. Another alternative proposed involves making Keflavik 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. and the majority of the country's significant institutions situated in the city, the requirement to change planes in Kangerlussuaq proves costly and time consuming for passengers, particularly for larger groups utilizing long distance charter planes. Air connections are 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 take 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 have insufficient capacity for cruise ships. Direct charter flights are desired. Expanding the runway would bolster cruise ship tourism.

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.

In 1973 a Sikorsky S 61N helicopter operated by Grønlandsfly crashed in waters about south of Nuuk, due to possible main rotor failure. 15 people were killed, all on board, including passengers. On 7 June 2008, a Eurocopter AS350 operated by Air Greenland crashed on the runway at Nuuk Airport. There were no injuries, but the helicopter was damaged beyond repair. On 4 March 2011, an Air Iceland Dash 8's landing gear collapsed while landing on the runway. There were no injuries, but the aircraft suffered serious damage.