Nuuk Airport

Nuuk Airport (Greenlandic: Mittarfik Nuuk, Danish: Nuuk Lufthavn, formerly Godthåb Lufthavn; (IATA: GOH, ICAO: BGGH)) is an international airport serving Nuuk, 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 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 allows larger jet aircraft to serve more international destinations. Previously, longer-distance jet traffic was operated from Kangerlussuaq Airport, necessitating transfers and longer journey times.
The airport 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 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 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-61N 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, 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), located 283 ft (86 m) above sea level. The airport terminal and apron were 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, 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 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; 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 are 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 was highly problematic, as it made the airfield unusable even for regional jet aircraft; for instance, the Bombardier CRJ family with 50–100 seats. It instead required highly-specialised STOL-capable aircraft to be used, which are limited both in size and in numbers. Air Greenland has been using Dash 8-200 aircraft with 37 seats.
The airport expansion issue had been a long-standing topic of controversy in Greenland. Many challenges and issues arose in deciding the future of 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 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 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 the coastal fogs, storms, heavy snowfall, and frequent turbulence prevalent near the coastline. However, since 2010 there were few suitable aircraft for purchase having more than 30 seats and able to use short runways like Nuuk's. 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 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 the runway would bolster cruise ship tourism.
Suggestions were to extend it from 950 to 1,199 m (3,117–3,934 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. The terminal building was too small for mid-sized aircraft, so any runway extension for direct Denmark flights would need a new terminal building also. 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 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 (cost calculated 2010).
Another alternative proposed involved making Keflavík Airport (Iceland's primary international airport) the international hub instead of Kangerlussuaq, and slightly expanding the Nuuk Airport runway to accommodate small jet planes. (Icelandair has already established a seasonal network connecting Greenland). This would need flights also from Keflavík to Narsarsuaq and to Ilulissat and reduce the passenger numbers for domestic Greenland and need extra freight flights with the small aircraft able use these airports.
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 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 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 hangars, the airport's old service building and the original apron. The original runway was removed, rebuilt and extended.
The rebuilt runway was opened on 28 November 2024, when operations on the full extended 2,200m runway began. Subsequently, 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 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 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.
In the first months of operation, Nuuk Airport encountered several operational difficulties. At the time of opening, a limited approval was granted only for Air Greenland and Icelandair to operate commercial flights. ILS approaches were not operational and increased safety requirements including runway friction restrictions were in place. Full security approval was not approved at the time of opening, meaning passengers from Nuuk transferring in Copenhagen or Keflavík must undergo a second security check. In January 2025, the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority revoked the approval of cargo operations at Nuuk airport due to operational deficiencies, but were reinstated a few days later. Adverse weather conditions affecting runway friction minimums led to numerous cancellations of transatlantic Air Greenland flights in December 2024 and January 2025, which meant Kangerlussuaq Airport was temporarily reactivated as a hub for a day.
Nuuk Airport has 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 the airport.
The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights to and from Nuuk:
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 the actual filming location of the scene is at Hornafjörður Airport in Iceland.