The airport in Greenland’s capital has been struggling with mysterious problems in recent weeks as it can no longer handle international flights. This is very strange…
International flights suspended at Nuuk Airport
The Danish Civil Aviation and Rail Authority has decided that Nuuk Airport cannot handle international flights until further notice. Therefore, it is currently only possible to fly from this airport to other destinations in Greenland.
Details on the reasons for the revocation of the international flight permit for this airport are limited. According to the authorities, the airport “does not meet the required high level of security in the security area” and “since airport security involves a high level of confidentiality, we cannot elaborate on what security measures are currently lacking.”
I imagine this is a formality. Either the security check does not meet international standards or there is a problem with the way passengers are directed in and out of the terminal. A traveler who recently arrived at the airport on an international charter flight reported the following about his arrival experience:
“I didn’t show my passport to anyone. We walked from the plane to the taxi. No one showed us where to go and the aisle and doors seemed to be open. Maybe they forgot to show us the way. I’ll be happy to get my passport stamped!”
To put it in context, it is set to be an exciting time for aviation in Greenland, as Nuuk Airport (GOH) is getting a new terminal and an extended runway this year, making the airport the country’s main air traffic hub. Currently, most international flights into the country go to Kangerlussuaq Airport (SFJ), which is actually not convenient for most travelers.
How Nuuk Airport diverts its Canada flight
Even before the full airport conversion in the fall, Air Greenland currently offers a weekly flight from Nuuk to Iqaluit, Canada (YFB). This is a really cool route as it is only 513 miles and should take about two hours on one of Air Greenland’s turboprops.
So what happened to this route given the new airport restrictions? Well, the flight from Iqaluit to Nuuk is still non-stop and the flight time is just under two hours.
However, the flight from Nuuk to Iqaluit now goes via Kangerlussuaq. The plane therefore first flies for about an hour to Kangerlussuaq, where passengers have to disembark and go through a security check.
From there, it is just over two hours flight to Iqaluit. This extends the journey time by about two hours.
It remains to be seen how long these restrictions will last. I suspect a solution will be found in the next few weeks, but in the meantime it is still interesting to watch…
Conclusion
Due to security concerns, Nuuk Airport has been temporarily stripped of its international flight permit. The airport is set to expand significantly in the coming months, but currently this is impacting the airline’s weekly flight to Canada, which has to be diverted via Kangerlussuaq.
This kind of thing doesn’t happen often, so I’m curious to see how long it stays this way…
What do you think about the situation at Nuuk Airport?
