I recently traveled from Greenland’s tourism center to the nation’s capital with Air Greenland. The flight was operated by one of the carrier’s Dash 8 aircraft and was surprisingly smooth.
Arriving at the airport
We arrived at Ilulissat Airport (JAV) an hour and a half before our flight. The existing airport is relatively small but colorful and easy to navigate. There was a short line at the check-in desk, and I was able to obtain boarding passes for the domestic flight and my long-haul connection at the same time.
Photo: Jonathan E. Hendry | Simple Flying
My rolling bag weighed just over 10kg (2kg over the limit for hand luggage), so it was checked as hold luggage to my final destination, which I was expecting. We then got some soda and gifts at the small kiosk and waited for our flight to board.
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The airport only has two gates, the primary departures one and a second gate that leads into the arrivals baggage claim area. Boarding was announced 20 minutes before our flight was scheduled to depart, and we filed out through the primary boarding gate.
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Notably, there was no security screening or metal detectors for the short domestic hop. Everyone just scanned their boarding passes as we walked onto the apron.
Inside an Air Greenland Dash 8
Everyone filed out across the tarmac in an orderly fashion to board the Dash 8 turboprop aircraft. I am always excited to fly on smaller propellor planes, and this was no exception. The aircraft chosen for the flight was a 28-year-old Dash 8-200 registered OY-GRM. It is named Navarana after the Navarana Fijord in far northern Greenland, itself named after Navarana Mequpaluk, an Inuit woman who was the wife of Arctic explorer Peter Freuchen.
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Photo: Jonathan E. Hendry | Simple Flying
The plane is the only original -200 variant in Air Greenland’s fleet. The remaining seven models are Dash 8-Q200s, which feature an Active Noise and Vibration Suppression system. The plane is configured to seat 37 passengers, thanks to the seventh row featuring an extra seat in the middle against the rear wall for a five-across configuration.
I was seated in row 6, which I felt had significantly more legroom than several of the other rows, although this might have just been a personal perception. As a traveler over six feet tall, I found the space more than adequate.
For Southbound flights in Greenland, the best view can usually be found on the left side, as the flight path generally follows the coastline, and the landscape is truly impressive.
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Everyone was fully boarded quite quickly, and the lone flight attendant came around to do a manual passenger tally. The plane rolled out two minutes early. We took off, passed over the upcoming new Ilulissat Airport (more on that later), and began the journey, which was scheduled to last one hour and fifteen minutes.
The inflight experience
Thanks to the 2×2 configuration of the aircraft, the majority of passengers were able to peer out the window as the plane flew by the famous Ilulissat Icefjord, one of the few places where Greenland’s ice cap meets the sea and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Passengers on both sides of the plane are able to view the icebergs that form from Sermeq Kujalleq, one of the fastest and most active glaciers in the world, which produces more icebergs than any other glacier outside Antarctica.
Photo: Jonathan E. Hendry | Simple Flying
Related Why Do Transatlantic Flights Pass Over Greenland? Despite its northern location, flying over Greenland actually shortens the journey.
Ten minutes into the flight, the seatbelt light went off, and the flight attendant came through with a drinks service. Water, coffee, and tea were all offered, and I had tea accompanied by sugar and a powdered creamer. Another drink service came through around 45 minutes into the flight and half an hour before landing.
Photo: Jonathan E. Hendry | Simple Flying
The ride was incredibly smooth, and the gentle hum of the propellers made the time pass by quickly. Other passengers could be heard commenting on how smooth the ride was for a turboprop, especially given Iceland’s unpredictable weather.
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Even though the flight went by without any abnormalities, I was comforted to know that, per the safety card in the seatback pocket, there were polar survival suits and a tent in the emergency box should we need to make an emergency landing on the ice cap.
Photo: Jonathan E. Hendry | Simple Flying
We touched down on time, and pulled in next to the other Dash 8s bringing people from across Greenland to transfer at Air Greenland’s new hub in Nuuk onto the carrier’s flagship Airbus A330neo service to Copenhagen (CPH).
Photo: Jonathan E. Hendry | Simple Flying
A new airport for Ilulissat
One of the highlights of the flight was the opportunity to have a sneak preview of the new Ilulissat Airport. The project is one of three major airport infrastructure projects being completed in Greenland at the moment. The first was the new Nuuk International Airport (GOH), which received a new terminal, longer runway, and instrument landing system, enabling long-haul flights to the nation’s capital for the first time. The new airport opened last week and is set to receive direct flights from the United States for the first time next summer, thanks to United Airlines.
Related Greenland Greets The World With Widebody Flights As Nuuk International Airport Officially Opens This marks the first time transatlantic flights can land in the nation’s capital, with United Airlines and SAS set to begin flights next summer.
Ilulisat is also set to receive a new 2,200-meter runway, which will allow it to accommodate widebody jets for the first time. Even though it is Greenland’s biggest tourist destination, the city has long been hampered by a short runway, which restricts the size of aircraft that can land.
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The only international service at the moment is an Icelandair service to Reykjavík–Keflavík (KEF). This is set to change in 2026 when the new runway (which can be seen behind the existing one in the photos), terminal, and instrument landing system come online in 2026.
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The third Greenlandic gateway to receive an overhaul is Qaqortoq (JJU) in southern Greenland. Currently served by just a heliport, the new airport will also come online in 2026.
Air Greenland Flight Review: Exploring The Dash 8 Fleet And Upcoming Ilulissat Airport
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