Qaarsut Airport
Encyclopedia
Qaarsut Airport is an airport
in Qaarsut
, a settlement on the Nuussuaq Peninsula
in the Qaasuitsup
municipality in northwestern Greenland
. It is a primary airport with a gravel runway, capable of serving STOL
aircraft of Air Greenland
in all seasons. There is a small cafeteria in the tiny arrivals/departures hall.
, 13.5 NM southeast of the airport, located on an island of the same name
in the south-central part of Uummannaq Fjord
. The island−merely 23 km (14.3 mi) away in a direct line across Sarqarput Strait
−is too small and rocky to host an airport of sufficient size to accommodate fixed-wing aircraft
of Air Greenland.
The airport thus functions as a mini-hub for Uummannaq, with the terminal building labelled 'Uummannaq', regardless of its actual location, registration, documentation, and existing booking systems.
-Uummannaq route, until then operated by Air Greenland with Sikorsky S-61N
helicopters. Acquired in 1965, they are the oldest machines in the fleet of the airline, still in operation year-round in southern Greenland and during wintertime in the Disko Bay
area south of Qaarsut.
The bottleneck problem is considered unsolved, since passengers must still be shuttled between the airport and Uummannaq Heliport
. The primary function of the airport as a local hub has unintended consequences for communities of northern Greenland. All flights to Qaanaaq Airport
include a stopover in Upernavik Airport
. In order to avoid an overnight layover in Upernavik
, all Qaanaaq
-bound passengers must travel via Qaarsut. Flights on the Ilulissat-Qaarsut route are often sold out, which given a single weekly flight to Qaanaaq leaves passengers unable to travel to the northern communities, resulting in resentment.
activities in Maamorilik
northeast of Ukkusissat
, as well as on Appat Island
in the future−are the primary reasons for keeping the airport open.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
in Qaarsut
Qaarsut
Qaarsut is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality, in northwestern Greenland. It is situated on the northeastern shore of the Nuussuaq Peninsula...
, a settlement on the Nuussuaq Peninsula
Nuussuaq Peninsula
Nuussuaq Peninsula is a large peninsula in western Greenland.- Geography :The waters around the peninsula are that of Baffin Bay. To the south and southwest the peninsula is bounded by Disko Bay, an inlet of Baffin Bay. It is separated from Qeqertarsuaq Island by Sullorsuaq Strait which...
in the Qaasuitsup
Qaasuitsup
Qaasuitsup is a new municipality in Greenland, operational from 1 January 2009. As of January 2010 its population is 17,749. The administrative center of the municipality is in Ilulissat...
municipality in northwestern Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
. It is a primary airport with a gravel runway, capable of serving STOL
STOL
STOL is an acronym for short take-off and landing, a term used to describe aircraft with very short runway requirements.-Definitions:There is no one accepted definition of STOL and many different definitions have been used by different authorities and nations at various times and for a myriad of...
aircraft of Air Greenland
Air Greenland
Air Greenland A/S is the flag carrier airline of Greenland, jointly owned by the government of Greenland, the SAS Group, and the government of Denmark...
in all seasons. There is a small cafeteria in the tiny arrivals/departures hall.
History
Qaarsut airport was inaugurated on 29 September 1999, with the purpose of serving the much larger neighboring town of UummannaqUummannaq
Uummannaq is a town in the Qaasuitsup municipality, in northwestern Greenland. With 1,299 inhabitants as of 2010, it is the eleventh-largest town in Greenland, and is home to the country's most northerly ferry terminal...
, 13.5 NM southeast of the airport, located on an island of the same name
Uummannaq Island
Uummannaq Island is a small island in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. Located in the south-central part of the Uummannaq Fjord, it is home to the most prominent mountain on the Arctic coast of western Greenland, and to Uummannaq, the largest town north of Ilulissat.The...
in the south-central part of Uummannaq Fjord
Uummannaq Fjord
Uummannaq Fjord is a large fjord system in the northern part of western Greenland, the largest after Kangertittivaq fjord in eastern Greenland...
. The island−merely 23 km (14.3 mi) away in a direct line across Sarqarput Strait
Sarqarput Strait
Sarqarput Strait is a strait in the Uummannaq Fjord system in northwestern Greenland. It separates Uummannaq Island in the northeast from Nuussuaq Peninsula in the southwest. The strait waterway is part of the southern arm of Uummannaq Fjord, narrowing into Ikerasak Fjord in the southeast, at the...
−is too small and rocky to host an airport of sufficient size to accommodate fixed-wing aircraft
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
of Air Greenland.
The airport thus functions as a mini-hub for Uummannaq, with the terminal building labelled 'Uummannaq', regardless of its actual location, registration, documentation, and existing booking systems.
Bottlenecks
The decision to build the airport in Qaarsut was intended to solve the bottleneck on the IlulissatIlulissat
Ilulissat is a town in the Qaasuitsup municipality in western Greenland, located approximately north of the Arctic Circle. With the population of 4,546 as of 2010, it is the third-largest settlement in Greenland, after Nuuk and Sisimiut....
-Uummannaq route, until then operated by Air Greenland with Sikorsky S-61N
Sikorsky S-61
The Sikorsky S-61L and S-61N are civil variants of the successful SH-3 Sea King helicopter. They are two of the most widely used airliner and oil rig support helicopters built.-Design and development:...
helicopters. Acquired in 1965, they are the oldest machines in the fleet of the airline, still in operation year-round in southern Greenland and during wintertime in the Disko Bay
Disko Bay
Disko Bay is a bay on the western coast of Greenland. The bay constitutes a wide southeastern inlet of Baffin Bay.- Geography :To the south the coastline is complicated with multiple waterways of skerries and small islands in the Aasiaat archipelago...
area south of Qaarsut.
The bottleneck problem is considered unsolved, since passengers must still be shuttled between the airport and Uummannaq Heliport
Uummannaq Heliport
Uummannaq Heliport is a heliport in Uummannaq, a town located on Uummannaq Island in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. There are no facilities in the heliport.-Airlines and destinations:...
. The primary function of the airport as a local hub has unintended consequences for communities of northern Greenland. All flights to Qaanaaq Airport
Qaanaaq Airport
Qaanaaq Airport is an airport located northwest of Qaanaaq, a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northern Greenland. It was established in 1991 to serve Qaanaaq and neighboring communities in light of the fact that Thule Air Base in Pituffik is not open for regular passenger traffic...
include a stopover in Upernavik Airport
Upernavik Airport
Upernavik Airport is an airport located northeast of Upernavik, a town in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland, capable of serving STOL aircraft...
. In order to avoid an overnight layover in Upernavik
Upernavik
Upernavik is a small town in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland, located on a small island of the same name. With 1,129 inhabitants as of 2010, it is the thirteenth-largest town in Greenland. Due to the small size of the settlement, everything is within walking distance...
, all Qaanaaq
Qaanaaq
Qaanaaq is the main town in the northern part of the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. It is one of the northernmost towns in the world. The inhabitants of Qaanaaq speak the West Greenlandic language and many also speak Inuktun. The town has a population of 626 as of 2010...
-bound passengers must travel via Qaarsut. Flights on the Ilulissat-Qaarsut route are often sold out, which given a single weekly flight to Qaanaaq leaves passengers unable to travel to the northern communities, resulting in resentment.
Future
Proposals to close the airport have to day been rejected. Sunk costs, tourism potential for northwestern and northern Greenland, and the 2010 reinvigoration of the miningMining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
activities in Maamorilik
Maamorilik
Maamorilik is a mining site in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland...
northeast of Ukkusissat
Ukkusissat
Ukkusissat is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality, in northwestern Greenland. The population of the settlement was 170 in 2010.- Geography :...
, as well as on Appat Island
Appat Island
Appat Island is an uninhabited island in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. At , it is one of the larger islands in the Uummannaq Fjord system, located in its north-central part....
in the future−are the primary reasons for keeping the airport open.