68 // Extreme Airports of the Worldand was part-funded by the European
Union (then European Commission)
Structural and Cohesion Fund.
Construction was a massive undertaking
due to the terrain, involving blasting
10.5m cubic ft (300,000m^3 ) of bedrock
and excavating 1.8m cubic ft (50,000m^3 )
of earth. The site was then filled with
another 10.5m cubic ft (300,000m^3 ) of
gravel and covered by asphalt.
Ilulissat Airport (JAV) opened on
September 19, 1984 and is classed as
a minor international facility, currently
only lagging behind Kangerlussuaq and
Nuuk in Greenland for throughput. It is
operated by Mittarfeqarfiit (Greenland
Airports). Despite the town being home to
a mere 4,500 people, 83,000 passengers
passed through its airport in 2012, and
91,000 three years later.
The growth in air traffic at JAV has
been mirrored across the rest of the
country. Twenty years ago, there were
just seven airfields in Greenland and
many settlements were served only by
helicopter. Ilulissat was the base for
two Sikorsky S-61 helicopters flown by
Greenlandair, which provided airlift
to the rest of the Disko Bay area. But
Greenland now boasts 13 airports and
47 heliports, although only three airfields
(Kangerlussuaq / Søndre Strømfjord,
Narsarsuaq and Qaanaaq / Thule AirForce Base) are capable of handling jet
traffic. The remaining ten all have 2,772ft
(845m) runways, which is sufficient only
for STOL turboprops such as the smaller
versions of the Bombardier Dash 8.
Enhancements often find detractors,
and some locals believe the increasing
number of airfields has not resulted
in improvements to the air transport
network. This is exemplified by
travel from Ilulissat to the island of
Uummannaq, which used to be operated
directly to the island’s heliport. The
trip now involves a flight in a Dash 8 to
Qaarsut and then a hop across the water
in a Bell 212 helicopter.Greenland’s third airport
Ilulissat Airport is just 1.7 miles (2.8km)
northeast of the town. Its single 2,772ft
(845m) asphalt runway has a turning
circle at each end and, in the southwest
corner, there are two short taxiways
leading to a compact apron and terminal.
The main building covers a mere 13,200sq
ft (1,225m^2 ), sufficient to handle two Dash
8 loads simultaneously. Inside are two
check-in desks, one baggage belt and a
small shop that also sells refreshments.
There is no public transport, but taxis are
available and some hotels offer transfers
for their customers.
Air traffic control – in the form of aflight information service delivered by an
Aerodrome Flight Information Services
Officer (AFISO) – is provided from a control
tower atop the terminal. It consists of a
simple procedural and reporting service,
and lacks radar. A team of seven are
employed to do the work, although they
sometimes provide AFISO cover at Aasiaat
and Qasigiannguit airports, too.
The airfield’s operating hours are
0800-1700hrs Monday to Saturday
(0900-1500 on Sundays), although
it is not uncommon for the hours
to be extended in the summer. It is
equipped with an NDB (non-directional
beacon) and DME (distance measuring
equipment), but does not have an ILS,
and the runway has edge lighting.
However, instrument approaches are
not possible due to the surrounding
terrain. As might be expected, ploughs
and snow-blowers are also essential
items of equipment in the operations
department’s arsenal.Air Greenland
Ilulissat Airport handles around ten
flights on a typical day, although in
summer months this can increase to 15
and on occasions it has even been as
high as 50. Most services are operated
by Air Greenland’s Bombardier Dash
8-Q200s, and originate at KangerlussuaqILULISSAT
TOP: The apron
is large enough
to accommodate
Dash 8s and
helicopters.
ABOVE: The
terminal facilities
are sufficient
to handle two
37-seat Dash 8s
concurrently.66-71_Ilulissat.indd 68 11/05/2018 11:45