FAQ

The Kalaallit Airports Group expects the first sod to be cut at Ilulissat in fourth quarter of 2019.

In exceptional cases, the public may be invited to visit the construction site. This type of event is not fixed and requires a wide range of safety factors to be in place. It is not possible to make individual visits to the project area, but if organisations, etc., have an interest, it is possible to contact the Kalaallit Airports Group to find out if a visit can be arranged.

ILS stands for Instrument Landing System. The system ensures that pilots can land aircraft when visibility is impaired. The system is built around a collaboration between instruments on the runway and instruments in an aircraft that communicate with each other. The system is used when an aircraft approaches the last part of the flight, before landing, where the pilot, for example, in poor visibility, can navigate solely using instruments.

An instrument landing system consists of two transmitters. One, called the localiser, stands at the end of the runway and indicates the position of the aircraft to the right or left of the centre line. The second, called the glideslope, stands next to the runway, at the landing zone, where the aircraft touches down on landing and indicates whether the pilot is too high or too low in relation to the desired approach angle.

As the aircraft gets closer to the runway, the pilot can get visual assistance using projectors next to the runway called PAPI, which can provide indications of whether the aircraft’s approach is too high or too low.

ILS is only used when a flight is subject to Instrument Flight Rules (IFR).

The Kalaallit Airports Group has entered into an agreement with Inuplan to conduct professional construction supervision and inspection of the airport constructions. With the help of the construction inspectorate, there is a continuous check that everything is being built according to the requirements set for the construction.

One of the conditions in the EIA approval is that the Kalaallit Airports Group must prepare an environmental plan that describes many factors during the establishment of the airports at Nuuk and Ilulissat. It is based on the requirements of the environmental plan that the blasting plans for each quarter are prepared.

The Ilulissat and Nuuk runways are 45 metres wide. Qaqortoq’s runway is 30 metres wide.

The Kalaallit Airports Group focuses on being able to service all the planes that land, regardless of whether it is with fuel or other essentials. In relation to fuel, the Kalaallit Airports Group is in the process of looking at how an optimal delivery of aviation fuel can take place.

The Danish Immigration Service is the authority regarding foreigners and granting residence permits. The municipalities in Greenland are responsible for granting work permits which cannot be granted without an authorized stay in Greenland.

The Kalaallit Airports Group has no reason to believe that the procedures around this are different for the airport constructions than for all other companies in Greenland.

It is still too early to put an exact figure on how many employees there will be at the new airport. In addition to some people to operate the airport, there will also be several cafes, etc., that require staff. The Kalaallit Airports Group also expects that there will be an area in the terminal building that can be rented out for business.

The Kalaallit Airports Group is currently in the process of drawing up the tender documents that will form the basis for the purchase of deicing machines. It has not yet been determined which machines will be purchased. The requirements for the deicing machines are defined in the tender documents. In the tender process, different companies will bid on supplying the deicing machines.

EIA approval is made based on an EIA report that a developer has submitted to the Government of Greenland, which describes the possible impacts on the environment that can occur if a facility is established. EIA approval is a form of approval with a focus on the environment and nature, issued by the Government of Greenland for the establishment of a facility listed in the EIA Executive Order.

The Kalaallit Airports Group will continuously consider where it is possible to make the airport “green”. One of the latest things the Kalaallit Airports Group has been looking at is the use of electric vehicles.

It is still too early to say precisely what facilities will be in the new terminals. However, the goal is that the new terminals should have the same facilities that passengers experience elsewhere at modern airports.

You can keep an eye on vacancies at Kalaallit Airports Holding A/S.
You are always welcome to send an unsolicited application through this formular eller til info@kair.gl

ILS equipped runways are categorised according to their qualifications. Each category has a minimum value for the flight altitude an aircraft can continue to descend to without having visual contact with the runway, under the minimum weather conditions required during the flight.

For CAT II and III approaches, the requirements for the equipment in the aircraft and on the runways increases, so that it becomes possible to land with lower visibility.

Category III is divided into IIIA and IIIB.

A CAT IIIA approach can descend to 50 feet (approx. 15 metres) above the runway and a runway visual range of at least 200 metres.

For CAT IIIB, there is no minimum altitude requirement for visual contact with the runway. At the same time, visibility can be reduced to 75 metres, for example, in dense fog, blizzards or the like. There is no requirement to be able to see the runway before the wheels touch down, and the

The right to complain is a statutory right that the Kalaallit Airports Group fully respects. However, the complaint process does not have a delaying effect, which means that the Kalaallit Airports Group can continue the work on the projects, even though the complaint process is ongoing.

Instrument Flight Rules are established rules for how a flight can take place. During an IFR flight, the pilot must primarily orientate themself using navigation aids and information from the tower. IFR is a counterpart to VFR (Visual Flight Rules), where the pilot navigates the aircraft, during what is defined as good weather, using visual references.

A safety zone on a runway is defined as surfaces and spaces that are subject to restrictions. The restrictions typically involve limiting heights. In this zone, no physical elements may be set up. However, elements may be set up that help the aircraft to land, such as runway edge lights.

At both Nuuk and Ilulissat airports, the safety zone extends 150 metres from each side of the centre of the runway, called the centre line. The runway safety zones cover a total width of 300 metres. At Qaqortoq, the safety zone extends 75 metres from the centre line, i.e. 150 metres in total.

There are some infrastructure factors at both the airports at Nuuk and Qaqortoq that must be taken into account when the airports are to be built. At Nuuk, it is a raw water pipeline, while at Qaqortoq there is an electricity line from the hydroelectric plant. The raw water pipeline at Nuuk will be re-laid and installed in an engineering corridor so that it is accessible in the future. At Qaqortoq, the power line from the hydroelectric plant will be laid in the ground. It will be taken into account at both Nuuk and Qaqortoq that citizens do not experience a shortage of water or electricity as a result of the airports being built.

The idea presentation is a conceptual presentation of the Government of Greenland’s thoughts, ideas and needs behind the airport projects in Greenland, with a view on deciding to realise the construction work.

ILS equipped runways are categorised according to their qualifications. Each category has a minimum value for the altitude an aircraft can continue to descend to, without having visual contact with the runway, under the minimum weather conditions required during the flight.

For CAT II and III approaches, the requirements for the equipment in the aircraft and on the runways increases, so that it becomes possible to land with lower visibility.

During a Category II approach, the minimum altitude is 100 feet (approximately 30 metres), and the runway visual range must be at least 300 metres. However, there may be operational requirements for both the aircraft in question, the airport or the employees’ own manual that means that higher minimum values must be used.

There will be no PBBs at the new airports. The buildings are designed so that the exit to the apron is located at ground level. A PBB is typically operated from the 1st floor of a terminal building. In addition to the economic aspect of establishing PBBs, the terminal buildings at Ilulissat and Qaqortoq are only built on one floor, which is why PBBs are not physically possible there. At Nuuk, the terminal is being built on two levels, but the difference in terrain means that PBBs are not established because the apron and the exit to the aircraft are on the same level.

It is up to the chosen contractor and any of its subcontractors to decide where the construction workers should live. The Kalaallit Airports Group has been in contact with the municipality regarding the designation of an area where the contractor can establish a “camp”. It is entirely up to the contractor whether they want to use the area or find another solution. The designated area is south of the ski lift, but a reasonable distance from the ski lift. The ski lift will not be affected by any camp.

Both Nuuk and Ilulissat will have CAT I ILS runways.

The contractors with whom the contract is signed must comply with Greenlandic legislation. It appears from the adoption of the airport package from 2018 that foreign construction workers are employed on wages and terms of employment that are according to Greenlandic conditions.

The Kalaallit Airports Group intends to hold information meetings when the need arises, and it is possible to meet the need. The meetings will be held in Nuuk, Ilulissat and Qaqortoq and will be announced here on the website, via social media and in the press.

New customer parking spaces will be established at each of the new airports. At Nuuk, there is an approx. 4500 m 2 car park. Converted into parking spaces of approx. 30m 2 per space (incl. room for manoeuvring), which corresponds to about 150 parking spaces. At Ilulissat, there will be room for approx. 65 parking spaces in an area of approx. 1900 m 2 . In addition to customer parking, parking spaces will be established for staff at the airports.

The new airports at Nuuk and Ilulissat will be designed so that it is possible to accommodate transit passengers between two international destinations.

If a company wishes to establish, expand or change a facility listed in the EIA Executive Order, the developer must prepare an EIA report. The EIA report must describe the probable impacts of a facility on the environment and make proposals for measures that the developer will implement to counteract the negative consequences on the environment.

The Government of Greenland uses the EIA report to decide whether the possible impact on the environment is acceptable concerning the benefits of establishing the facility. If the Government of Greenland decides that the facility can be established, this is done by the Government of Greenland issuing an EIA approval based on the EIA report.

The Kalaallit Airports Group is in the process of identifying the commercial conditions surrounding the new airports. There is a high expectation that if airlines carry a larger amount of air freight than is happening today, this will easily be handled at the new airports when they are fully operational.

The Kalaallit Airports Group has not made calculations on how much CO2 the construction projects will emit.

The Danish Defence's F35 will be able to land in the new aiports in Nuuk and Ilulissat. Further questions about this type of aircraft, please contact Joint Arctic Command.

The technology within turbulence monitoring systems is continually evolving. Therefore, a large number of studies are still pending, and it is still too early to say which turbulence monitoring system will be set up at the new airports.

There are no airports in Greenland that does not have exemptions. It is the Kalaallit Airports Group’s clear assessment that many of the existing airports in Greenland today would require exemptions from the Danish Transport, Construction and Housing Authority if they were to be built today.

Equipment for the fire and rescue service must be purchased for all three airports. The scope and capacity of the equipment to be purchased depends on the size of the airport, and therefore the airports at Nuuk and Ilulissat must have slightly different equipment than the airport at Qaqortoq. Fire engines and rescue equipment must be purchased through a tender process. The tender documents are currently being drawn up, which is why the Kalaallit Airports Group is presently unable to state which equipment is to be purchased and what it will cost. The fire and rescue equipment must otherwise meet a large number of rules and must therefore go through an approval process with the Danish Transport, Construction and Housing Authority.

Kalaallit Airports Domestic A/S was unfortunately forced to cancel the tender in Qaqortoq, as the tenders submitted were too far from the budget. The consequence of this will be that the construction work will not start in 2020.

No more than several hundred workers are expected to come to Nuuk and Ilulissat and even fewer to Qaqortoq. The Kalaallit Airports Group is not entitled to, or will not interfere with the grocery shops’ purchasing strategy.

It is a clear presumption that, as the airports are built, more accommodation options also will be built in the cities of the airports. However, the responsibility for compliance with passengers rights in connection with delays and cancellations, lies within the airlines.

ILS equipped runways are categorised according to their qualifications. Each category has a minimum value for the altitude an aircraft can continue to descend to, without having visual contact with the runway, under the minimum weather conditions required during the flight.

On a CAT I runway, the pilot must still be able to see the runway in the last part of the approach and may only continue to descend to 200 feet above the runway. The runway visual range (RVR), which is the visibility on the runway measured by optical instruments, must otherwise be at least 550 metres. If these minimum values are not met, you must circle round and try again or find another place with better weather conditions.

The Danish Transport, Construction and Housing Authority approves the airports in Greenland.

If, for example, your house has been damaged or you believe that you are entitled to compensation based on the construction work, you must notify your insurance company. Your insurance company will contact the Kalaallit Airports Group’s insurance company. Hereafter the case will be handled in this forum. Other complaints should be directed to info@kair.gl 

The Kalaallit Airports Group expects the first sod to be cut at Nuuk in Q4 of 2019.

9. Whom can you contact if you have a question about the airport construction?

If you have questions or anything related to the construction of the airports at Ilulissat, Nuuk and Qaqortoq, you can contact us via the following e-mails:

Regarding the Nuuk project: Nuuk@kair.gl 

Regarding the Ilulissat project: Ilulissat@kair.gl 

Regarding the Qaqortoq project: Qaqortoq@kair.gl 

Other questions can be directed here on the page via this formular or at info@kair.gl or ph. +299 34 21 40

The press is kindly refered to pr@kair.gl or ph. +299 34 21 46

PAPI is an abbreviation of Precision Approach Path Indicator. It is a system of red and white floodlights by runways, which is used to help the pilot visually during the approach, keeping the ideal approach angle, the last part of the flight.

The Government of Greenland issued EIA approval for the airport project at Ilulissat in October 2018.

The Government of Greenland issued EIA approval for the airport project at Nuuk in March 2019.

The Kalaallit Airports Group recommends that you contact the winning contractor yourself to apply for work there. Information about the winning contractor will be published here on the website.

It is still too early to put an exact figure on how many employees there will be at the new airport. In addition to some people to operate the airport, there will also be several cafes, etc., that require staff. The Kalaallit Airports Group expects that there will be an area in the terminal building that can be rented out for business.

At Ilulissat and Nuuk, the runways will be 2,200 metres long, and the Qaqortoq runway will be 1,500 metres long.

It is up to the chosen contractor and any of its subcontractors in collaboration with the municipality to decide where the construction workers should live. The municipality allocates land to the contractors to establish camps. It is entirely up to the contractor whether they want to use the area or find another solution.