Kangerlussuaq Airport

Greenland's Major International Airport

Kangerlussuaq has no fingers that reach to the plane - instead airport personel wait to excort you to your plane

The Kangerlussuaq / Søndre Strømfjord International Airport (airport code: SFJ) is one of two international airports in Greenland. At a longitude of 67 degrees North it is located a bit North of the Arctic Circle (66.33 degrees North). The other airport is Narsarsuaq (airport code: UAK) further South.

A plane being serviced at Kangerlussuaq Airport

Kangerlussuaq is very much the gateway to Greenland, with passengers and cargo arriving and being transported further into Greenland with the smaller aircrafts.

The outdoor waiting room at the Kanguerlussuaq Airport

It is a very rudimentary airport, compared to airports outside Greenland - the security section and the taxfree shop are about the only really up-to-date parts. This is the outdoor waiting room, very popular in Summer when the sun shines. The airport cafeteria is behind the windows. The grey boarded "wall" at the back is a finger, Kangerlussaq-style.

The flight times from Kangerlussuaq to other parts of the World in hours

This signpost is very famous, and is often copied around the World. It give the distances to several international destinations in flying time from Kangerlussuaq.

The workhorse of the regional transport - turboprops

The real workhorse in Greenland air traffic is the turboprop. Along with Sikorsky helicopters they are the main mode of transport between Greenland's towns.

The Kangerlussuaq fuel depot at the fjord

Kangerlussuaq is on the North side of the Kangerlussuaq or "The Great Fjord", stretching 180 kilometers inland from a bit South of the town of Sisimiut, facilitating the transport of eg. plane fuel to the airport. Many types of cargo can be transported by plane, but fuel would become prohibitively expensive. It is very popular to walk from the coast and Sisimiut to Kangerlussuaq on a track more or less along the fjord, with cabins available at normal day stops along the track. There is talk of building a road between Sisimiut and Kangerlussuaq, but this is still somewhat into the future.

A new direct route between Washington/Baltimore and Kangerlussuaq is now in operation in the summertime, offering easy but expensive access to Greenland from the US through a 4½ hour flight. But one thing is the transport of tourists and visitors to Greenland. The planes going to Copenhagen, Denmark carry the Greenlanders that are too ill or suffers from something that cannot be treated in Greenland, to more advanced treatment in Denmark. Air transport is also a lifeline.

Next page - Global Warming in Greenland

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