QAQORTOQ, Denmark – A commercial aircraft landed on April 16 for the first time in Qaqortoq, Greenland’s fourth-largest town, whose new airport means that the whole of the Arctic island – coveted by US President Donald Trump – has international connections.
The flight between Nuuk, the Greenlandic capital, and Qaqortoq, in the south of the Danish autonomous territory, lasted about 75 minutes and many residents gathered outside the airport to witness the landing, an AFP reporter on the flight said.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Foreign Minister Mute Egede were both on the plane to the town that is the main gateway to southern Greenland.
Previously accessible only by helicopter or boat, the airport allows year-round flights from Nuuk and summer connections from Iceland, the VisitGreenland tourism board said in a statement.
The Arctic island of 57,000 people relies on its 14 airports and aerodromes as roads are so unreliable for most of the year.
The airport has a 1,500m runway and its opening comes as the Narsarsuaq Airport, located a further north, closes.
According to local press, the United States is considering refurbishing Narsarsuaq, a former air base that was operated by the US military between 1942 and 1958.
The inauguration of Qaqortoq airport comes just over a year after the launch of the first direct air link between Copenhagen and Nuuk.
Another international airport is also due to open this year in Ilulissat, in northwestern Greenland.
The investment in air infrastructure, partly financed by Denmark, is intended to spur the development of the local economy, especially tourism.
“With the opening of Qaqortoq Airport, we are taking an important step in the development of South Greenland. We are proud to contribute to the development of Greenland’s infrastructure and look forward to seeing how these new opportunities translate into tangible growth,” Mr Jens Lauridsen, chief executive officer of Greenland Airports, said in a statement. AFP