newstodate.aero

Aug 31, 2021 (newstodate): New airports to serve Greenland have always been a turbulent issue marred by political vacillations, financial issues and lofty ambitions.
   Now, the opening of a new Transatlantic airport to serve the capital Nuuk has once again been pushed back, with 2024 as the new target, while earlier slated for commissioning in 2023.
   The delayed opening of the new Nuuk Airport is blamed on a range of factors, with Covid-19 ranking highest as many key specialists involved in the construction were barred from entering Greenland during the lockdown, causing delays to projects feasible only during narrow timeframes due to the special climatic conditions.
   But also contributing to the delayed opening are reportedly new infrastructural requirements as to runway center lights and ILS.
   Greenland is currently implementing a new airport infrastructure including reconstruction of the airports at Ilulissat and Nuuk that will have runways extended to 2,200m, and a new airport at Qaqortoq, currently served by a Helipad only, but planned to have a new airport with a 1,499m runway allowing for fixed-wing operations.
   The planned airport at Ilulissat is still slated for opening in 2024, while the fate of the airport at Qaqortoq, currently served by a Helipad only, but planned to have a new airport with a 1,499m runway allowing for fixed-wing operations, was stalled in  September 2020 as the outcome of a tender for the airport's runway made clear that the bids from the entrepreneurs by far exceeded the budget, requiring either a recalibration of the project, or reconsideration of its financing.
   A second tender was opened on January 7, 2021, still requiring construction of a 1,499 m runway - but now coupled to construction of the pertinent airport buildings in the optimistic hope that the combined solution might still land within the financial limits of the budget allocated to the project.
   The airports at Nuuk and Ilulissat are constructed by KAIR Holding, owned by the Greenlandic government and the Danish state, while the airport at Qaqortoq will be constructed by a separate company under Greenland Airports, Kalaallit Airports Domestic A/S.