Ilulissat Airport Mittarfik Ilulissat Ilulissat Lufthavn | |||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | State owned | ||||||||||
Owner | Mittarfeqarfiit | ||||||||||
Serves | Ilulissat and Disko Bay, Greenland | ||||||||||
Location | Ilulissat, Avannaata Municipality | ||||||||||
Hub for | |||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 95 ft / 29 m | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 69°14′36″N051°03′26″W / 69.24333°N 51.05722°W | ||||||||||
Website | www.mit.gl/ilulissat | ||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
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Statistics (2012) | |||||||||||
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Ilulissat Airport (Greenlandic : Mittarfik Ilulissat, Danish : Ilulissat Lufthavn, originally Jakobshavn Lufthavn); (IATA : JAV, ICAO : BGJN) is a minor international airport serving Ilulissat, Greenland, the entire Disko Bay Region, the North and West Greenland. It is the 59th largest airport in the Nordic countries with 83,000 passengers in 2012 and is the second airport built in Greenland for civilian travel partially funded by the EU (former EC) Structural Funds and Cohesion Fund. It is the third-busiest airport in Greenland, and one of the busiest for international travel in Greenland. [2]
The airport is located north-east of Ilulissat, just 2.8 kilometres (1.7 mi) of city centre. It was built in 1983, [3] replacing the heliport. [3] The airport is the main hub out of three used by Air Greenland.
The purpose of Ilulissat Airport has been debated in Greenland for decades; there has been pressure for runway extension from the local tourist industry and municipal authorities. [4] Currently a new airport is being built slated to open in 2024, but delays might push it to 2025 or later. [5] The expansion of the airport will feature a 2,200 m × 60 m (7,218 ft × 197 ft) [6] runway to let the airport receive direct international airliner flights from mainland Europe and the Americas. [7] [8] It will be located just north of the present airport. [9] The new airport will be able to facilitate direct routes from international airports directly to Ilulissat. There is a general debate on extending or replacing most airports in Greenland, since most are either ill located former air bases, or very short.
Airlines | Destinations |
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Air Greenland | Aasiaat, Ilimanaq, [10] Kangerlussuaq, Nuuk, Qaanaaq, Qaarsut, Qeqertaq, [10] Saqqaq, [10] Sisimiut, Upernavik [10] Seasonal: Reykjavík–Keflavík, Qasigiannguit, Qeqertarsuaq |
Air Nunavut | Charter: Iqaluit [11] |
Icelandair | Seasonal: Reykjavik–Keflavík [12] |
Air Greenland operates government contract flights to villages in the Disko Bay area. These mostly cargo flights are not featured in the timetable, although they can be pre-booked. [13] Departure times for these flights as specified during booking are by definition approximate, with the settlement service optimized on the fly depending on local demand for a given day. Settlement flights in the Disko Bay and Aasiaat archipelago areas are operated only during winter and spring. During summer and autumn, communication between settlements is by sea only, serviced by Diskoline. [14]
Air Greenland A/S, also known as Greenlandair, is the flag carrier of Greenland, owned by the Greenlandic Government. It operates a fleet of 28 aircraft, including 2 airliners used for transatlantic and charter flights, 8 fixed-wing aircraft primarily serving the domestic network, and 18 helicopters feeding passengers from the smaller communities into the domestic airport network. Flights to heliports in the remote settlements are operated on contract with the government of Greenland.
Nuuk Airport 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.
Qasigiannguit, formerly Christianshåb, is a town located in western Greenland on the southeastern shore of Disko Bay in the Qeqertalik municipality. With 1,081 inhabitants in 2020, it is the thirteenth-largest town in Greenland. The main industry is shrimp and halibut fishing.
Kangerlussuaq Airport 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, so few passengers have their origin or destination here; most passengers change planes. Due to runway pavement failures caused by thawing of the permafrost and climate change, the airport will be closed to major commercial traffic in 2024. However, military use of the airport will continue.
Kitsissuarsuit is a settlement in Qeqertalik municipality in western Greenland. The settlement was formerly founded in 1830 as Hunde Ejlande or Dog's Island, although it had already been used as a whaling station since 1817. Its population was 50 in 2020.
Ikamiut is a settlement in the Qeqertalik municipality in western Greenland, located on a small island in the Aasiaat Archipelago on the southern shores of Disko Bay. Its population was 86 in 2020.
Saqqaq is a settlement in the Avannaata municipality in western Greenland. Founded in 1755 as Solsiden, Saqqaq had 132 inhabitants in 2020. The village's Kalaallisut name is a translation of the Danish meaning "Sunny Side", in reference to its position relative to Livets Top.
Ilimanaq, formerly Claushavn, is a settlement in Avannaata municipality in western Greenland. It had 53 inhabitants in 2020. The modern name of the village is Kalaallisut for "Place of Expectations".
Oqaatsut, formerly Rodebay or Rodebaai, is a settlement in Avannaata municipality, in western Greenland. It had 29 inhabitants in 2020. The modern name of the settlement is Kalaallisut for "Cormorants". The village is served by the communal all-purpose Pilersuisoq store.
Aasiaat Airport is an airport located in the Disko Bay, 1 NM northeast of Aasiaat, a town in the Qeqertalik municipality in western Greenland. It can serve STOL aircraft, although there is no aircraft deicing equipment at the airport, which is costly and problematic in Greenlandic winter.
Qasigiannguit Heliport is a heliport in the eastern part of Qasigiannguit, a town located on the southeastern shores of Disko Bay in Qeqertalik municipality, in western Greenland.
Qeqertarsuaq Heliport is a heliport on the southern shore of Qeqertarsuaq Island in the Qeqertalik municipality, in western Greenland. It is located in Qeqertarsuaq, the biggest town on, and named after, the island.
Saqqaq Heliport is a heliport in Saqqaq, a village on the Nuussuaq Peninsula in the Avannaata municipality in western Greenland. The heliport is considered a helistop, and is served by Air Greenland as part of a government contract.
Qeqertaq Heliport is a heliport in Qeqertaq, a village on an island off the shore of the Nuussuaq Peninsula in Avannaata municipality in western Greenland. The heliport is considered a helistop, and is served by Air Greenland as part of a government contract.
Akunnaaq Heliport is a heliport in Akunnaaq, a village in Qeqertalik municipality in western Greenland. The heliport is considered a helistop, and is served by Air Greenland as part of government contract.
Iginniarfik Heliport is a heliport in Iginniarfik, a village in the Qeqertalik municipality in western Greenland. The heliport is considered a helistop, and is served by Air Greenland as part of government contract.
Kangaatsiaq Heliport is a heliport in Kangaatsiaq, a village in Qeqertalik municipality in western Greenland. The heliport is considered a helistop, and is served by Air Greenland as part of a government contract.
Kitsissuarsuit Heliport is a heliport in Kitsissuarsuit, a Disko Bay island village in Qeqertalik municipality in western Greenland. The heliport is considered a helistop, and is served by Air Greenland as part of a government contract.
Ilimanaq Heliport is a heliport in Ilimanaq, a village located just south of Ilulissat Icefjord in Avannaata municipality in western Greenland. The heliport is considered a helistop, and is served by Air Greenland as part of a government contract.
Ikamiut Heliport is a heliport in Ikamiut, a village in the Qeqertalik municipality in western Greenland. The heliport is considered a helistop, and is served by Air Greenland as part of a government contract.
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