Air Greenland is increasing the number of flights between Greenland and mainland Europe. The lease of an Airbus A320neo will enable flights between the new airport at Ilulisat and Copenhagen. This will be in addition to the existing scheduled service from the capital Nuuk.

The Greenlandic airline has been thoroughly overhauling its fleet since it became independent in 2019. New helicopters were ordered from Airbus for flights to remote areas, and the only A330-200 was replaced by a modern and economical A330-800.

A Boeing 737 is currently being leased from the Danish Jettime for extra capacity, but Air Greenland now wants to replace it with an Airbus A320neo. A six-year lease agreement (with an option to extend) has been signed with Carlyle Aviation for this purpose.

This aircraft will be delivered at the end of 2026 and is to be used on flights to Copenhagen from March 2027.

Air Greenland moved its hub in Greenland from Kangerlussuaq to Nuuk at the end of last year, after the airport's runway was significantly extended. Nuuk now serves as the country's main airport, and has a flight connection to Copenhagen, among other things.

A new airport is scheduled to open at Ilulissat, more than 550 kilometers north of Nuuk, at the end of 2026. The intention is that this airport, which will have a 2,200-meter runway, will also be connected to Copenhagen by the A320neo.

The A320neo may be flown by pilots and cabin crew who are already active on the A330-800. In addition, Air Greenland wants to retrain several pilots who currently fly the Dash-8.

Partner SAS will provide maintenance for the A320neo in Copenhagen, as is already the case for the A330-800.

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* Origin: AVIATION ECHO HQ (2:292/854)