It’s an interesting time for aviation in Greenland. We’re witnessing huge investments in the territory’s aviation infrastructure, and as a result, we’re also seeing quite a bit of extra air service there. Along those lines, government-owned Air Greenland has announced that it will double its jet fleet.
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Air Greenland will start flying an Airbus A320neo in 2027
Currently, Air Greenland’s fixed-wing fleet consists of nine passenger aircraft, including one Airbus A330-800neo, and eight De Havilland Dash 8-200 turboprops (this is in addition to a pretty cool helicopter fleet).
Air Greenland has now signed an agreement with leasing company Carlyle, to acquire an Airbus A320neo aircraft. This plane is expected to be delivered to Air Greenland in December 2026, and it should enter service in the spring of 2027. Currently, the lease agreement runs for six years, with an option to extend that term.
Air Greenland’s CEO indicates that the decision to lease the aircraft was made based on the current delivery timeline for new Airbus jets being around six to seven years, so this will allow the airline to expand sooner.
The A320neo will have a technical maintenance base in Copenhagen, which is also where Air Greenland’s A330-800neo is maintained. This maintenance will be done in partnership with Scandinavian Airlines (SAS).
Pilots and cabin crew will be able to work both the A330 and A320 with the same license, so Air Greenland sees this as a big benefit of the arrangement, compared to another aircraft. As a reminder, the A330 is a wide body jet, while the A320 is a narrow body jet.
Air Greenland plans to fly the Airbus A320neo out of Ilulissat
What does Air Greenland plan to do with its new Airbus A320neo? Keep in mind that currently, the carrier’s Airbus A330-800neo is typically flown between Nuuk (GOH) and Copenhagen (CPH). So the plan is to use the A320neo to also fly to Copenhagen, but out of Ilulissat (JAV), in northern Greenland.
As mentioned above, we’re currently seeing significant airport expansion projects in Greenland. Up until recently, Kangerlussuaq (SJF) was Greenland’s gateway airport. While the area doesn’t have a big population and isn’t the primary place people want to visit, it was the only airport capable of handling a jet. So passengers would funnel through there, and then take connecting turboprop flights to elsewhere in Greenland.
Fortunately we recently saw an expanded airport open in Nuuk, so that Greenland’s biggest city now also gets the most air service. Next up, Ilulissat is also getting an expanded airport. Currently, the airport only has an 880-meter runway, capable of handling turboprops, but not jets.
However, by the spring of 2027, we should see the opening of a 2,200-meter runway, which will be able to accommodate jets. So the timing here really is perfect, as the jet should arrive around the same time as the expanded airport, assuming there aren’t delays (which seems like a big “if,” on both fronts). Ilulissat is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Greenland, so travel there will be greatly simplified.
Bottom line
Air Greenland will be expanding its jet fleet, as the airline plans to start flying an Airbus A320neo as of early 2027. The timing should coincide with the opening of an expanded airport in Ilulissat, and the plan is for the airline to add another link to Copenhagen. I’m happy to see Air Greenland continue to expand, and I’m curious to see how the carrier configures its A320neo.
What do you make of Air Greenland acquiring an Airbus A320neo?
My zip code in Maryland has 4x the population of that city. I'm skeptical they can fill that plane and also keep the plane utilization high.
This service isn't targeted at locals, just like the large increase in service Aspen will see (with larger jets) isn't due to its population of 6000 inhabitants.