Qaanaaq Airport

Qaanaaq Airport (Greenlandic: Mittarfik Qaanaaq) (IATA: NAQ, ICAO: BGQQ) is an airport located 1.9 NM (3.5 km; 2.2 mi) northwest[1] of Qaanaaq, a settlement in the Avannaata municipality in northern Greenland. It was established in 1991[2] to serve Qaanaaq and neighboring communities because Thule Air Base in Pituffik is not open for regular passenger traffic. It is the only civilian airport north of Upernavik and is a lifeline for northern Greenland. Fresh food and other consumer products are transported by air.

Qaanaaq Airport

Mittarfik Qaanaaq / Qaanaaq Lufthavn
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorGreenland Airport Authority
(Mittarfeqarfiit)
ServesQaanaaq, Greenland
Elevation AMSL51 ft / 16 m
Coordinates77°29′19″N 069°23′19″W
WebsiteQaanaaq Airport
Map
BGQQ
Location in Greenland
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
17/35 900 2,953 Gravel
Statistics (2012)
Passengers1,719
Source: Danish AIS[1]

Airlines and destinations
AirlinesDestinations
Air Greenland Thule, Upernavik
Seasonal: Ilulissat[3]
Air Greenland (settlement flights) Moriusaq, Siorapaluk[3]

Air Greenland operates government contract flights to villages in the Qaanaaq region. These mostly cargo flights are not featured in the timetable,[3] although they can be pre-booked.[4] Departure times for these flights as specified during booking are by definition approximate, with the settlement service optimized on the fly depending on local demand for a given day.

Travel from south Greenland to Qaanaaq include plane changes at Ilulissat and Upernavik. Travel from other countries include plane changes in Copenhagen, Kangerlussuaq, Ilulissat and Upernavik, or Reykjavik, Ilulissat and Upernavik.

Transfers at Thule Air Base

Travellers bound for Thule Air Base in Pituffik are required to apply for transfer permit from either Rigsombudsmanden in Nuuk (residents of Greenland), or the Danish Foreign Ministry (all others).[5] Failure to present the permit during check-in results in denial of boarding. The same rules apply for transfers at Pituffik, including a stopover on the way from Qaanaaq to Savissivik. Travel from Upernavik (with connections from southwest Greenland) to Qaanaaq is not influenced.

References
  1. Greenland AIP for BGQQ – Qaanaaq Airport from Naviair
  2. "Travel problems frustrating isolated town". Sermitsiaq. 3 July 2008. Archived from the original on August 4, 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  3. Air Greenland, Departures and Arrivals Archived March 9, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  4. Air Greenland, fare system rules Archived July 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  5. Air Greenland Archived June 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine 'Transit at Thule Air Base'
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