Narsarsuaq Airport

Coordinates: 61°09′39″N 45°25′32″W / 61.16083°N 45.42556°W / 61.16083; -45.42556
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Narsarsuaq Airport

Mittarfik Narsarsuaq

Narsarsuaq Lufthavn
AMSL
112 ft / 34 m
Coordinates61°09′39″N 45°25′32″W / 61.16083°N 45.42556°W / 61.16083; -45.42556
WebsiteNarsarsuaq Airport
Map
BGBW is located in Greenland
BGBW
BGBW
Location in Greenland
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
07/25 1,830 6,004 Concrete
Statistics (2012)
Passengers26,284
Source: Danish AIS[1]

Narsarsuaq Airport (

Qaqortoq Airport is scheduled to open.[2]

History

Terminal at Narsarsuaq Airport

World War II

The airfield at Narsarsuaq was first built by the

B-25 Mitchell bombers with the assignment to escort allied convoys and track and destroy German submarines
.

A military hospital with 250 beds was completed in 1943.

B-17 Flying Fortress in 1948.[5]

After the war

Air Greenland served all primary heliports in southern Greenland with a Sikorsky S-61N helicopter until the mid 2010s.
Looking southwest over Narsarsuaq Airport and Tunugdliafik (Eriks Fjord) in November 2020

Civil air traffic began in 1949 with Douglas DC-4 propliners operated by Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) and Icelandair. US and Denmark signed The Agreement related to the defense of Greenland on 27 April 1951, with both countries agreeing to share the Bluie West One airbase. In 1952, the Danish Air Force stationed Airgroup West with a PBY Catalina at the airport.

The

M/S Hans Hedtoft
of Denmark and all on board were lost near the southern tip of Greenland. The Danish Authorities decided to reopen the airport soon after. From November 1959, the Danish Air Force had three PBY Catalinas stationed at Narsarsuaq with the assignment to make ice-observations along the coast of Greenland, and these observations were broadcast to ships in the area.

In the 1960s and 1970s,

AS350 Eurocopter
aircraft.

Decline

The airport served as a regional

de Havilland Canada Dash-8 200 turboprops, one of which would serve the newly opened triangular route between Narsarsuaq, Nuuk, and Reykjavík-Keflavík.[10]

The new route was closed before the first flights could commence, adding to resentment amongst businesses and the community of South Greenland.[11] The declared demand for the direct connection with Iceland was not reflected in ticket sales numbers, which contributed to the pullout decision.[12]

With the Boeing airliner sold on 26 April 2010,

Air Iceland on the route to Iceland rendered the prospected Air Greenland route to Denmark unprofitable, leading directly to the decline in traffic in southern Greenland. Re-establishment of a direct route to continental Europe was unlikely to happen in 2011.[14]
In 2012, flights to/from Copenhagen started in the summer by chartering a separate operator.

Future

Main articles: Qaqortoq § Transport, and Qaqortoq Heliport

The new airport in Qaqortoq is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in 2025. This eliminates the need for Narsarsuaq as a domestic and Iceland-bound gateway to South Greenland. In 2022, the Greenlandic government decided that Narsarsuaq will be downscaled to a heliport, losing the runway.

North Atlantic ocean must use alternative airports for refuelling. Narsarsuaq village will remain inhabited, though the loss of the airport function is already having its toll.[16]

The first Greenland Air Trophy took place at Narsarsuaq Airport, 30 June 2019. The winning pilot was Rene Petersen of Greenland, second and third places both taken by French pilots.

Facilities

In the terminal there is a simple cafeteria, a

duty-free 'Nanoq' shop,[17] as well as a small tourist office, which helps coordinate general aviation
activities at the airport.

Airlines and destinations

AirlinesDestinations
Air Greenland Alluitsup Paa, Kangerlussuaq, Nanortalik, Narsaq, Nuuk, Paamiut, Qaqortoq[18]
Seasonal: Copenhagen
Icelandair Seasonal: Reykjavík–Keflavík[19]

Accidents and incidents
  • On 5 August 2001, Dassault Falcon 20C freight aircraft of Naske Air crashed on approach to Narsarsuaq. It planned a fuel stop, going from Poland to the US. Three people were killed, including a passenger.[21]

Ground transport

Transfers to local settlements are normally done by boat or helicopter flights. Diskoline sells tickets to boats to Narsaq and Qaqortoq. Boats require a bus transfer since the port is around 2.5 km (1.5 mi) from the terminal.[22]

References

  1. ^ Greenland AIP for BGBW – Narsarsuaq Airport from Naviair
  2. ^ Veirum, Thomas Munk (31 March 2022). "Borgerne har fået besked om Narsarsuaq - den lukkes for fly". SermitsiaqAG. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  3. ^ a b warbirdforum.com
  4. ^ "warbirdforum.com". Archived from the original on 3 July 2009. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
  5. ^ a b c warbirdforum.com
  6. ^ Air Greenland, 50th anniversary website Archived 28 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine (in Danish)
  7. ^ "Air Greenland: Kritikken holder ikke". Sermitsiaq (in Danish). 30 December 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  8. ^ "Simon Simonsen ikke tilfreds". Sermitsiaq (in Danish). 6 October 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  9. ^ "Air Greenland sælger Kunuunnguaq i 2010". Sermitsiaq (in Danish). 6 October 2009. Archived from the original on 3 May 2010. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  10. ^ "Flere sydgrønlandske flyafgange". Sermitsiaq (in Danish). 6 October 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  11. ^ "Erhvervsliv raser mod Air Greenland". Sermitsiaq (in Danish). 14 April 2010. Archived from the original on 15 April 2010. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  12. ^ Air Greenland News Archive Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine (in Danish)
  13. ^ "Farvel til Kunuunnguaq". Sermitsiaq (in Danish). 26 April 2010. Archived from the original on 30 April 2010. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  14. ^ a b "Sermitsiaq mener: Farvel til atlantruten". Sermitsiaq (in Danish). 3 May 2010. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  15. ^ Veirum, Thomas Munk (31 March 2022). "Borgerne har fået besked om Narsarsuaq - den lukkes for fly". SermitsiaqAG. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  16. ^ Møller Andersen, Nina-Vivi (4 April 2022). "Borgere i Narsarsuaq: Folk er begyndt at flytte". SermitsiaqAG. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  17. ^ greennet.gl
  18. ^ "Booking system". Air Greenland. Archived from the original on 22 April 2010. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  19. ^ "Icelandair NS23 Operation Changes – 23NOV22". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  20. ^ "N68736 Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  21. ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  22. ^ The distance is seen on images such as Google Maps. The operator Blue Ice mentions a car, but it's more likely a minibus because of the boat size.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Narsarsuaq_Airport&oldid=1178693363"