Ilulissat Airport

Ilulissat Airport

Mittarfik Ilulissat

Ilulissat Lufthavn
Summary
Airport typeState owned
OwnerMittarfeqarfiit
ServesIlulissat and Disko Bay, Greenland
LocationIlulissat, Avannaata Municipality
Hub for
Elevation AMSL95 ft / 29 m
Coordinates69°14′36″N 051°03′26″W / 69.24333°N 51.05722°W / 69.24333; -51.05722
Websitewww.mit.gl/ilulissat
Map
BGJN is located in Greenland
BGJN
BGJN
Location within Greenland
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
06/24 845 2,772 Asphalt
Statistics (2012)
Passengers83,930
Source: AIP[1]

Ilulissat Airport (Greenlandic: Mittarfik Ilulissat, Danish: Ilulissat Lufthavn, originally Jacobshavn 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.

A major expansion of the airport, including a new, longer runway and a new terminal, is ongoing and is slated for completion in 2026, which will allow larger jet aircraft to serve more international destinations.[4]

Airport expansion

Airport terminal
Plan of airport expansion. New runway is drawn in red.

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.[5] As of 2024, a new airport is under construction and was due to be completed by 2024, but delays have pushed completion to 2026.[6][4] The expansion of the airport will feature a 2,200 m × 60 m (7,218 ft × 197 ft)[7] runway to let the airport receive direct international airliner flights from mainland Europe and the Americas.[8][9] It will be located just north of the present airport.[10] 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 and destinations

AirlinesDestinations
Air Greenland Aasiaat, Ilimanaq,[11] Nuuk, Qaanaaq, Qaarsut, Qeqertaq,[11] Saqqaq,[11] Sisimiut, Upernavik[11]
Seasonal: Qasigiannguit, Qeqertarsuaq
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]

Accidents and incidents

  • On 29 January 2014, a De Havilland DHC-8 operated by Air Greenland (Flight 3205) suffered substantial damage in a landing accident. On landing, the left main gear collapsed and the plane skidded down a slope and came to a rest near the perimeter fence. This caused three injuries, not serious, and the aircraft was scrapped. The cause was a pilot error in difficult wind conditions.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ "BGJN – Ilulissat" (xls). AIP Denmark. Copenhagen: Trafikstyrelsen/Danish Transport Authority. 28 June 2012. part AD 2 – BGJN. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  2. ^ https://www.dropbox.com/s/mrrv0reteqg51oh/Operationer%20og%20pax%202012-1988.xls - total passengers 2012 was 41,965
  3. ^ a b Air Greenland, History Archived 23 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ a b ""Delays in Ilulissat Airport Construction Project Push Opening to 2026" | en.365Nyt". 28 May 2024. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  5. ^ "Mayors calling for airport improvements". Sermitsiaq. 10 September 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  6. ^ https://sermitsiaq.ag/node/248470 Archived 26 December 2023 at the Wayback Machine [bare URL]
  7. ^ "Landingsbaner på Grønland bygget på skærver og GPS-udstyr".
  8. ^ Massiv udvidelse af grønlandske lufthavne
  9. ^ "OPLEV VERDEN, OG LAD VERDEN OPLEVE OS". Qaasuitsup (in Danish). October 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2014.[permanent dead link‍]
  10. ^ "Ilulissat". Archived from the original on 21 July 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  11. ^ a b c d "Booking system". Air Greenland. Archived from the original on 22 April 2010. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  12. ^ Liu, Jim. "Icelandair NS23 Operation Changes – 23NOV22". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  13. ^ Air Greenland, fare system rules Archived 13 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ Diskoline timetable Archived 22 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ "ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland Canada DHC-8-202Q Dash 8 OY-GRI Ilulissat Airport (JAV)".

Media related to Ilulissat Airport at Wikimedia Commons