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Kangerlussuaq Airport (Greenlandic: Mittarfik Kangerlussuaq, Danish: Søndre Strømfjord Lufthavn) (IATA: SFJ, ICAO: BGSF) is an airport in Kangerlussuaq, a settlement in the Qeqqata municipality in central-western Greenland. Alongside Narsarsuaq Airport, it is one of only two civilian airports in Greenland large enough to handle large airliners. It is located away from the coast and hence less prone to fog and wind in comparison with other airports in Greenland. Kangerlussuaq Airport is the international hub for Air Greenland. The Kangerlussuaq area has very few inhabitants (around 500), so few passengers have their origin or destination here; most passengers change planes.

Kangerlussuaq Airport

Mittarfik Kangerlussuaq

Kangerlussuaq Lufthavn
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorGreenland Airport Authority
(Mittarfeqarfiit)
ServesKangerlussuaq, Greenland
LocationKangerlussuaq, Qeqqata, Greenland, Denmark
Hub forAir Greenland
Elevation AMSL165 ft / 50 m
Coordinates67°01′01″N 050°41′22″W
WebsiteKangerlussuaq Airport
Map
BGSF
Location in Greenland
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
09/27 2,810 9,219 Asphalt
Statistics (2012)
Passengers133,381
Aircraft movements4,826
Source: Danish AIS[1]
Statistics from airport.[2]

History


The terminal building and apron, 2010
The terminal building and apron, 2010

The first airport was built here during the US occupation in 1941 under the name of Bluie West-8, later renamed Sondrestromfjord Air Base and Sondrestrom Air Base.[citation needed]

In the mid 1950s, transatlantic civilian flights began using the air base for refueling. In 1956, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) was flying "Polar route" service with three round trip flights per week being operated with Douglas DC-6B propliners on a routing of Copenhagen - Sondre Stromfjord (now Kangerlussuaq) - Winnipeg - Los Angeles.[3] This use enabled air travel to Greenland, but fell off in the 1960s as airliners gained greater range. Instead the base became the hub of Greenland air traffic.[citation needed] The airport was handed over to civilian Greenlandic control in 1992.

At a late 2011 Air Greenland meeting, plans to move the main Greenland intercontinental air hub away from Kangerlussuaq were agreed upon. According to the 2011 plan, three 1,199-metre (3,934 ft) airstrips will be built: a new airport at Qaqortoq, as well as extensions at Nuuk and Ilulissat. New airports will probably also be built at Tasiilaq and Ittoqqortoormiit later. Alongside Kangerlussuaq, the airports at Narsarsuaq and Kulusuk (if Tasiilaq is built) will also be closed.[4] Generally, a number of the airstrips have been built by the US military at locations deliberately away from major settlements, partly due to the Danish policy to downplay the presence of the US military in Greenland. There is also a need to renovate the Kangerlussuaq runway for a fairly high cost as the permafrost is melting under it.[5]

A decision was made in 2016 to extend the runways of both Nuuk and Ilulissat airports to 2,200 m (7,200 ft), allowing them to receive medium size jetliners from Denmark,[6][7] and also to replace Narsarsuaq with a new airport at Qaqortoq. Construction at Nuuk Airport started late 2019. This, in combination with the condition of the runway, will probably mean that Kangerlussuaq will be eventually closed or used for smaller planes for flights to other cities in Greenland only, and for charter flights in connection with cruise ship arrivals.

Even if Nuuk and Ilulissat will get direct flights from Europe, Kangerlussuaq will still be important, partly due more stable weather and longer runway. Cruise ships want to exchange passengers at Greenland because the long journey time to Greenland and back to home is unsuitable for many passengers. They need a reliable airport with few delays, because cruise ships have firm planned schedules with booked ports and land activities. For this reason, in 2018 plans were approved to build a better port near Kangerlussuaq together with a 15 km road to the airport. As of 2018, the small port cannot take cruise ships nor large freight ships, so transfer boats are needed.[8]


Facilities


The terminal is open for 24 hours a day during summer. Hotel Kangerlussuaq, with 70 rooms and a restaurant, is located within the terminal building of the airport, providing accommodation for transferring passengers. Other amenities include a nightclub and a self-service bar open in the daytime. Several tourism outfitters share an office in the terminal, alongside the Tourist Office. There are also more simple accommodations in Kangerlussuaq.[citation needed]


Airlines and destinations



Passenger


AirlinesDestinations
Air Greenland Aasiaat, Billund (begins 29 March 2023),[9] Copenhagen, Ilulissat, Maniitsoq, Narsarsuaq, Nuuk, Sisimiut

Access to several research camps on the Greenland ice sheet, including the Danish field camp North GRIP and the American Summit Camp, is handled through Kangerlussuaq via the 109th Airlift Wing of the New York Air National Guard. There are also a few tourist charter flights between Germany and Kangerlussuaq every summer, in connection with cruise ship arrivals to the Kangerlussuaq seaport. Those flights have typically been operated by Air Greenland or airlines from Germany.[10] Other charter flights are used, for example a number of flights from the US and Canada landed in connection with the 2016 Arctic Winter Games in Nuuk.[citation needed]


Cargo


Flights from Copenhagen using large aircraft are the main way of quick transport of mail and goods, including fresh food, to Greenland. Because of the lack of a good port at Kangerlussuaq, most material is transported by air to other destinations. Goods that do not need such quick transport are often freighted by air to Nuuk and then by ship to other places in Greenland. A road to Sisimiut at the coast is planned with this freight in mind. In general, there are worries about cost, and furthermore the uncertainty of the future of Kangerlussuaq airport makes it hard to decide upon a road or a port.[citation needed]

Wreckage of a T-33 jet trainer
Wreckage of a T-33 jet trainer

Accidents and Incidents




See also



References




Media related to Kangerlussuaq Airport at Wikimedia Commons


На других языках


[de] Flughafen Kangerlussuaq

Der Flughafen Kangerlussuaq ist ein Flughafen in Kangerlussuaq im westlichen Grönland. Er ist der größte Flughafen und Drehkreuz des Landes.
- [en] Kangerlussuaq Airport

[es] Aeropuerto de Kangerlussuaq

El Aeropuerto de Kangerlussuaq (IATA:SFJ, ICAO:BGSF) es un aeropuerto en Groenlandia, desde aquí la compañía nacional, Air Greenland, hace vuelos internacionales a Copenhague con aviones de gran tamaño puesto que es el único aeropuerto de la nación que puede asistir a tales aeronaves. En el 2008 el aeropuerto atendió a 133.690 pasajeros, más del doble que el aeropuerto de la capital. Además este aeropuerto ha tenido el honor de tener en sus pistas a dos concordes, el avión supersónico europeo, simultáneamente.

[fr] Aéroport de Kangerlussuaq

L'aéroport international de Kangerlussuaq (code IATA : SFJ • code OACI : BGSF) est le plus grand aéroport international groenlandais situé à Kangerlussuaq, au nord du cercle polaire arctique.

[it] Aeroporto di Kangerlussuaq

L'Aeroporto di Kangerlussuaq (in kalaallisut Mittarfik Kangerlussuaq, in danese Søndre Strømfjord Lufthavn) (ICAO:BGSF - IATA: SFJ), è uno dei pochi aeroporti internazionali della Groenlandia. Gli aeroporti di Søndre Strømfjord e di Narsarsuaq sono gli unici in grado di gestire l'Airbus A330-200 della compagnia groenlandese (Air Greenland).

[ru] Кангерлуссуак (аэропорт)

Аэропорт Кангерлуссуак (дат. Søndre Strømfjord Airport), (ИАТА: SFJ, ИКАО: BGSF) — гражданский аэропорт, расположенный в городе Кангерлуссуак (дат. Søndre Strømfjord), муниципалитет Кекката, западная часть Гренландии. Аэропорт Кангерлуссуак является единственным в Гренландии международным аэропортом.



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