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If, for aviation geeks and tourism watchers, novel air routes are a precious commodity, I struck gold when I found myself on the inaugural Air Greenland flight from Nuuk to Iqaluit. The route connects the capitals of Greenland and of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, 820km away over the Davis Strait.
At first glance, the flight seems capricious — almost certainly the only scheduled airline launch in 2024 to link two towns with no onward connection by road anywhere. Both Nuuk (population fewer than 20,000) and Iqaluit (7,500) are surrounded by wilderness and water, and only accessible by boat, plane, on foot or sled.
And yet the route could also be a key milestone in Greenlandic history. In the blink of an eye, a journey that took two days and cost about DKr35,000 (£3,950) return has been cut to two hours and around DKr4,500. Moreover, it reorders colonial routes: previously (unless you had a private plane) flying from Greenland to North America meant heading east, back to Copenhagen, or in more recent years, to Reykjavík. Nunavut’s connections to the rest of the world were restricted to Ottawa and Montreal. A Nuuk-Iqaluit route challenges these colonial ligatures.
On the morning of the flight’s launch, June 26, Nuuk’s shiny new terminal — not fully operational until November — hosted a reception with snacks of dried fish and biscuits, a ribbon cutting, short speeches, and a joint performance by musicians Aasiva Nakashuk and Ivaana Olsen, the former based in Nunavut, the latter in Greenland. Nakashuk spoke in Inuktitut and Olsen in Greenlandic; the assembled crowd, mostly Greenlandic, was able to follow both.
The celebrations continued on the flight itself, with non-alcoholic sparkling wine served in plastic flutes and conversations stretching across the aisle. Operated by a 37-seat Dash 8, the service will run on Wednesdays in both directions until late October. The two hours went by quickly. As the plane dipped below the clouds, we saw land: rocky, striped with remnants of snow.
Greenland social media star Qupanuk Olsen prepares to board the new flight
In Iqaluit, the mood was ebullient — every passenger emerging into the arrivals hall received applause from well-wishers. I was handed an Arctic char sushi roll by local company Sijjakkut, and then another. Children ran around holding small Greenlandic and Nunavut flags, one in each hand. On stage, Nunavut’s premier PJ Akeeagok smiled broadly, switching between Inuktitut and English: “We are connected by our culture, our language, and our way of life. This really feels like family coming home.”
Both cities share largely Inuit populations, but feel very different. The air in Nuuk is delicious, the cafés are lively and the cosy bookshop sets out coffee for customers. Recently built shiny mid-rise apartment buildings are interspersed with brightly colourful single-family houses.
By contrast, Iqaluit is ramshackle and dusty. Its primary school building, made of prefabricated fibreglass panels, looks as if it belongs in a 1980s sci-fi film about life on the Moon. Yet there are fascinating and engaging pockets everywhere, such as the Unikkaarvik Visitor Centre, with its helpful staff and informative displays and sweeping views of Frobisher Bay, still clogged with ice in late June, and the Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum next door, with its gift shop featuring jewellery by local artists.
Greenland’s capital of Nuuk with the Sermitsiaq mountain in the background © Alamy
Houses on a rocky ridge in the city of Iqaluit in Nunavut, Canada © Alamy
Will the route survive? Air Greenland have tried Nuuk-Iqaluit before, the last service terminated in September 2014 after just two years. This time, though, things feel different, both institutionally and commercially. Malik Hegelund Olsen, the chair of Air Greenland’s board, tells me the company is “so confident” about the route it will resume flying it in April of next year, that is, well before the start of the traditional summer season.
I no longer need to travel all the way to Denmark or Iceland to get home
Tourism in Greenland is expanding rapidly, with three new airport expansions in the works — most significantly a runway extension at Nuuk that will allow larger aircraft to land. The Nuuk-Iqaluit flight is the result of a partnership between Air Greenland and Canadian North that will allow passengers to fly on to Ottawa and Montreal on a single ticket. And ties between Greenland and Nunavut are stronger than they were a decade ago, thanks to 2022 co-operation agreement designed to promote collaboration in green energy, tourism, fisheries, culture and education.
Also on the inaugural flight was Qupanuk Olsen, the woman behind Q’s Greenland, a YouTube and Instagram series that addresses Greenlandic culture and customs. There is a hunger for stronger links among Inuit on both sides of the Davis Strait, and at the reception in Iqaluit, Olsen circled through the crowd, taking selfies with shy teenagers and excited grandmothers alike. A woman next to me in the crowd, in sunglasses and a sweatshirt, squealed when she saw her. “We are now reunited with our fellow Inuit,” said Olsen. “And I no longer need to travel all the way to Denmark or Iceland to get home.”
Details
For details of the new service and tickets see airgreenland.com. For more on visiting Nuuk and Iqaluit see visitgreenland.com and destinationnunavut.ca
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Publish date : 2024-08-09 01:53:00
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