Narsarsuaq Airport

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Narsarsuaq Airport
Mittarfik Narsarsuaq
Narsarsuaq Lufthavn
200px
Narsarsuaq Airport
IATA: UAK – ICAO: BGBW
BGBW/UAK is located in Greenland
BGBW/UAK
BGBW/UAK
Location of airport in Greenland
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Mittarfeqarfiit
Serves Narsarsuaq
Elevation AMSL 112 ft / 34 m
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Website Narsarsuaq Airport
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
07/25 1,830 6,004 Concrete
Statistics (2012)
Passengers 26,284
Source: Danish AIS[1]

Narsarsuaq Airport (Greenlandic: Mittarfik Narsarsuaq) (IATA: UAK, ICAO: BGBW) is an airport located in Narsarsuaq, a settlement in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. Along with Kangerlussuaq Airport, it is one of two airports in Greenland capable of serving large airliners. It is also the only international airport in southern Greenland. The settlement it serves is small, with the airport primarily functioning as a transfer point for passengers heading for the helicopter hubs of Air Greenland in Qaqortoq and Nanortalik.

History

File:Narsarsuaq-airport-terminal.jpg
Terminal at Narsarsuaq Airport

World War II

The airfield at Narsarsuaq was first built by the American Department of Defense (then known as the War Department) as an army airbase, its construction beginning in July 1941[2] and the first aircraft landing in January 1942. During World War II the airbase−codenamed Bluie West One−hosted squadrons of PBY Catalina flying boats and B-25 Mitchell bombers with the assignment to escort allied convoys and track and destroy German submarines.

A military hospital with 250 beds was completed in 1943.[3] Approximately 4,000 people were stationed at the base during the war.[2] It is estimated that during that time more than 10,000 aircraft were ferried through the airbase. On 6 July 1942 the supply ship "SS Montrose" was wrecked on a cliff in the Tunulliarfik Fjord southwest of the airbase.[4] The first aircraft from the Danish Air Force stationed at Narsarsuaq was a PBY Catalina in 1947 and a B-17 Flying Fortress in 1948.[4]

After the war

File:Narsarsuaq-airport-sikorsky-s61n.jpg
Air Greenland serves all primary heliports in southern Greenland with a Sikorsky S-61N helicopter

Civil air traffic began in 1949 with DC-4s from the Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) and Icelandair. US and Denmark signed The Agreement related to the defense of Greenland on 27 April 1951, with both countries agreeing to share the Bluie West One airbase. In 1952 the Danish Air Force stationed Airgroup West with a PBY Catalina at the airport.

The US Air Force left Bluie West One in November 1958,[4] and the airbase was closed. In January 1959 M/S Hans Hedtoft of Denmark and all on board were lost near the southern tip of Greenland. The Danish Authorities decided to reopen the airport soon after. From November 1959 Danish Air Force had 3 PBY Catalinas stationed at Narsarsuaq with the assignment to make ice-observations along the coast of Greenland, and these observations was broadcast to ships in the area.

File:Narsarsuaq-airport-atlantic-airways-avro-rj85.jpg
Atlantic Airways connected Narsarsuaq with Iceland

In 1960 Greenlandair (since 2002 known as Air Greenland[5]) was formed as a regional airline of Greenland. It began operations with a Sikorsky S-55 and a Douglas DC-4.[6] From 1962 Greenlandair was using PBY Catalinas and, later, Twin Otters on domestic routes in Greenland, and from 1965 with the Sikorsky S-61 helicopters.[6]

In the 1960s and 1970s Greenlandair and SAS were operating with Douglas DC-6s[6] and Icelandair with Boeing 727s in Greenland, and in the 80's SAS was using DC-8s at Narsarsuaq. Since 1 January 1988 the Narsarsuaq Airport has been operated by Mittarfeqarfiit, the Greenland Airport Administration. Ice-observations are still based at Narsarsuaq and carried out with the AS350 Eurocopter aircraft.

Decline

File:Narsarsuaq-airport-runway-from-air.jpg
The small airliners serving Narsarsuaq take off to the southwest, flying over Tunulliarfik Fjord, to then U-turn towards the east over Johan Dahl Land.

The airport served as a regional focus city for Air Greenland until the late 2000s, when tough economic conditions forced the airline to raise the low season prices several times.[7][8] In 2009 the airline announced the sale of Kunuunnguaq,[9] a Boeing 757-200, one of two airliners in the fleet, serving the Narsarsuaq-Copenhagen route. Later the same year, the airline announced the acquisition of two new STOL aircraft, de Havilland Dash-8 200, one of which would serve the newly opened triangular route between Narsarsuaq, Nuuk, and Reykjavík-Keflavík.[10]

The new route was closed before the first flights could commence, adding to resentment amongst businesses and the community of South Greenland.[11] The declared demand for the direct connection with Iceland was not reflected in ticket sales numbers, which contributed to the pullout decision.[12]

With the Boeing airliner sold on 26 April 2010,[13] the entire Kujalleq municipality, and southern Greenland in general remains without prospects for a direct connection to Copenhagen.[14] The financial crisis of 2008–2010, the air travel disruption after the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption both contributed to lower passenger demand, while competition from Air Iceland on the route to Iceland rendered the prospected route unprofitable, leading directly to the decline in traffic in southern Greenland. Re-establishment of the direct route to Copenhagen was unlikely to happen in 2011.[14] In 2012 flights to/from Copenhagen started in the summer by chartering a separate operator.

Airlines and destinations

File:Narsarsuaq-airport-terminal-dutyfree.jpg
Nanoq duty-free shop operated by Pilersuisoq
Airlines Destinations
Air Greenland Alluitsup Paa, Kangerlussuaq, Nanortalik, Narsaq, Nuuk, Paamiut, Qaqortoq[15]
Air Greenland
operated by Jet Time		 Seasonal: Copenhagen
Air Iceland Seasonal: Reykjavík (ends 13 June 2016),[16] Reykjavík-Keflavík (begins 14 June 2016)[17]

Accidents and incidents

On 5 August 2001, Dassault Falcon 20C freight aircraft of Naske Air crashed on approach to Narsarsuaq. It planned a fuel stop, going from Poland to the US. Three people were killed, including a passenger.[18]

On 13 May 1957, a DC-4 freight aircraft operated by US Overseas Airlines hit the icecap on approach to Narsarsuaq. Two were killed, of three on board.[19]

Facilities

In the terminal there is a large cafeteria, a duty-free 'Nanoq' shop,[20] as well as a small tourist office, which helps coordinate general aviation activities at the airport.

References

  1. ↑ BGBW – Narsarsuaq Airport (PDF). Greenlandic Aeronautical Information Publication from Statens Luftfartsvæsen (CAA-DK).
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 warbirdforum.com
  3. ↑ warbirdforum.com
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 warbirdforum.com
  5. ↑ Air Greenland, 50th anniversary website (Danish)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Air Greenland, 50th anniversary website (Danish)
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Air Greenland News Archive (Danish)
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ http://airlineroute.net/2015/10/13/ny-sfjuak-s16/
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ greennet.gl
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