List of airports in Greenland
This is a list of airports in Greenland, grouped by type and sorted by location. Air travel is extremely important in Greenland, since there are generally no roads between settlements. Arctic Umiaq Line provides passenger and freight services by sea but is limited to the southwest coast and travel time is long and departures sparse.
History
The first airports in Greenland were built by and for the United States defense. The first and largest was Kangerlussuaq Airport in 1941, followed by Narsarsuaq Airport in 1942 (and now-abandoned USAAF airfields Bluie East Two and Marrak Point, both in 1942) and Pituffik Space Base in 1953 (although Pituffik is not operated as a civilian airport) and Kulusuk Airport in 1956. Due to their distance from major settlements, these were not initially used for civilian travel. In the early 1960s, Greenlandair was founded, commencing civilian flights between the air bases, and helicopter and sea plane flights to large settlements. SAS operated the connection from Copenhagen to Kangerlussuaq, beginning in 1954 as a fuel stop en route to United States, which was later taken over in 2000 by Air Greenland.
Beginning with Nuuk Airport in 1979 and Ilulissat Airport in 1983, several airports with short runways were built.
Airports
Many locations in Greenland have Danish names in addition to their Greenlandic names. The Danish name, where applicable, is shown in italics. Airport or heliport names shown in bold indicate the facility has scheduled passenger service on a commercial airline.
Several of the airports do not have road connection with the local major settlement, so a helicopter transfer is often needed by most passengers to some airports. Airports with a very small population reachable by road include Kangerlussuaq Airport, Kulusuk Airport, Narsarsuaq Airport, Nerlerit Inaat Airport and Qaarsut Airport. 13 civil airports (not Pituffik Space Base) and 47 helipads in Greenland are operated by the state-owned enterprise Greenland Airport Authority (Mittarfeqarfiit).
Aerodromes
The following 14 airports are listed under AD 2 AERODROMES at Naviair.[1]
| Location served | Municipality | ICAO | IATA | Airport name | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aasiaat (Egedesminde) | Qeqertalik | BGAA | JEG | Aasiaat Airport | [2] |
| Ilulissat (Jakobshavn) | Avannaata | BGJN | JAV | Ilulissat Airport | [3] |
| Ittoqqortoormiit (Scoresbysund) | Sermersooq | BGCO | CNP | Nerlerit Inaat Airport (Constable Pynt Airport) | [4] |
| Kangerlussuaq (Søndre Strømfjord) | Qeqqata | BGSF | SFJ | Kangerlussuaq Airport (Sondrestrom Air Base) | [5] |
| Kulusuk | Sermersooq | BGKK | KUS | Kulusuk Airport | [6] |
| Maniitsoq (Sukkertoppen) | Qeqqata | BGMQ | JSU | Maniitsoq Airport | [7] |
| Narsarsuaq | Kujalleq | BGBW | UAK | Narsarsuaq Airport (Narsarsuaq Air Base) | [8] |
| Nuuk (Godthåb) | Sermersooq | BGGH | GOH | Nuuk Airport | [9] |
| Paamiut (Frederikshåb) | Sermersooq | BGPT | JFR | Paamiut Airport | [10] |
| Pituffik | – | BGTL | THU | Pituffik Space Base | [11] |
| Qaanaaq | Avannaata | BGQQ | NAQ | Qaanaaq Airport | [12] |
| Qaarsut / Uummannaq | Avannaata | BGUQ | JQA | Qaarsut Airport (Uummannaq Airport) | [13] |
| Sisimiut (Holsteinsborg) | Qeqqata | BGSS | JHS | Sisimiut Airport | [14] |
| Upernavik | Avannaata | BGUK | JUV | Upernavik Airport | [15] |
The following aerodromes also exist. They have no scheduled flights.
| Location served | Municipality | ICAO | IATA | Airport name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daneborg | Northeast Greenland National Park | BGDB | Daneborg Airport | |
| Danmarkshavn | Northeast Greenland National Park | BGDH | Danmarkshavn Airport | |
| Station Nord | Northeast Greenland National Park | BGNO | Nord Station | |
| EastGRIP | Northeast Greenland National Park | EastGRIP | ||
| Summit Camp | Northeast Greenland National Park | Summit Station | ||
| Mestersvig | Northeast Greenland National Park | BGMV | Mestersvig Airport |
Not included and not open for flights anymore are the former United States Army Air Forces bases of Bluie East Two and Marrak Point.
Heliports
The following 47 heliports are listed under AD 4 HELIPORTS at Naviair.[16]
The following four heliports are not listed by Naviair.
| Location served | Municipality | ICAO | IATA | Airport name | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Igaliku | Kujalleq | BGIO | QFX | Igaliku Heliport | [64] |
| Kangilinnguit (Grønnedal) | Sermersooq | BGGD | JGR | Kangilinnguit Heliport | |
| Moriusaq | Avannaata | BGMO | Moriusaq Heliport | ||
| Saarloq | Kujalleq | BGSO | Saarloq Heliport (non-IATA identifier: QOQ) |
[65] |
Statistics
Mittarfeqarfiit only publishes statistics summarized for Atlantic airports (Kangerlussuaq and Narsarsuaq) and for other airports (11 airports). 13 airports are included, not Pituffik Space Base. [66]
| 2013 | 2015 | 2017 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic airports, passengers | 159,432 | 166,688 | 173,523 | 197,038 |
| Other airports, passengers | 193,812 | 198,921 | 200,075 | 217,173 |
| Heliports, passengers | 44,612 | 41,675 | 39,789 | 28,790 |
| Atlantic airports, takeoffs | 7,988 | 8,286 | 7,653 | 8,209 |
| Other airports, takeoffs | 15,069 | 16,007 | 16,958 | 15,691 |
| Heliports, takeoffs | 10,646 | 11,289 | 9,533 | 7,623 |
Future
A major development in Greenlandic aviation occurred in 2016, when it was decided that three new or rebuilt airports would be built in Nuuk, Ilulissat and Qaqortoq. These airports will accommodate larger jet aircraft which can serve international destinations, at a cost of 3.6 billion DKK (approximately $560 million), primarily financed by the Danish state.[67] This will majorly improve access to Greenland's largest towns and end the use of ill-placed prior military bases as aviation hubs. Kangerlussuaq Airport will lose hub status to Nuuk Airport and Ilulissat Airport, while Narsarsuaq Airport will be replaced by Qaqortoq Airport.[68]
The first of the new airports, Nuuk Airport, was opened in 2024 and subsequently most international traffic transitioned there. The other two airports, Ilulissat and Qaqortoq are due to open in 2026.[67]
See also
- Greenland Airports
- Transport in Greenland
- Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority
- Air Greenland
- Icelandair
References
- "IATA Airline and Airport Code Search". International Air Transport Association.
- "UN Location Codes: Greenland". UN/LOCODE 2012-1. UNECE. 14 September 2012. – includes IATA codes
- ^ "AIM Naviair". Naviair. Naviair. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGAA – Aasiaat Airport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGJN – Ilulissat Airport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGCO – Nerlerit Inaat Airport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGSF – Kangerlussuaq Airport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGKK – Kulusuk Airport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGMQ – Maniitsoq Airport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGBW – Narsarsuaq Airport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGGH – Nuuk Airport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGPT – Paamiut Airport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGTL – Thule Air Base Archived 2016-08-05 at the Wayback Machine from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGQQ – Qaanaaq Airport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGUQ – Uummannaq Qaarsut Airport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGSS – Sisimiut Airport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGUK – Upernavik Airport from Naviair
- ^ AD 4 HELIPORTS
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGAQ – Aappilattoq (Nanortalik) Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGAG – Aappilattoq (Upernavik) Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGAK – Akunaq Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGAP – Alluitsup Paa Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGAS – Ammassivik Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGAR – Arsuk Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGAT – Attu Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGET – Eqalugaarsuit Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGIG – Iginniarfik Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGIT – Ikamiut Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGIK – Ikerassaarsuk Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGIA – Ikerasak Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGIL – Ilimanaq Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGLL – Illorsuit Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGIN – Innarsuit Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGIS – Isortoq Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGSC – Ittoqqortoormiit Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGKA – Kangaatsiaq Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGKS – Kangersuatsiaq Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGKT – Kitsissuarsuit Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGKQ – Kullorsuaq Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGKM – Kuummiut Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGNL – Nalunaq Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGNN – Nanortalik Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGNS – Narsaq Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGFD – Narsaq Kujalleq Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGNK – Niaqornaarsuk Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGNT – Niaqornat Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGNQ – Nuugatsiaq Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGNU – Nuussuaq Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGJH – Qaqortoq Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGCH – Qasigiannguit Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGQT – Qassimiut Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGQE – Qeqertaq Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGGN – Qeqertarsuaq Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGST – Saattut Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGSQ – Saqqaq Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGSV – Savissivik Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGSG – Sermiligaaq Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGSI – Siorapaluk Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGAM – Ammassalik Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGTQ – Tasiusaq (Nanortalik) Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGTA – Tasiusaq (Upernavik) Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGTN – Tiniteqilaaq Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGUT – Ukkusissat Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGKL – Upernavik Kujalleq Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Greenland AIP for BGUM – Uummannaq Heliport from Naviair
- ^ Igaliku Archived 2016-05-06 at the Wayback Machine at Air Greenland
- ^ Saarloq Archived 2016-06-19 at the Wayback Machine at Air Greenland
- ^ "Årsregnskab" (in Danish). Mittarfeqarfiit. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
- ^ a b "Regning for grønlandske lufthavne er endt i Danmark efter et besøg i Beijing - TV 2". nyheder.tv2.dk (in Danish). 2025-03-08. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
- ^ "Greenland to become more accessible – with new airport and flight routes". CMW. 2025-07-10. Retrieved 2025-08-11.