Traffic in Greenland
The traffic in Greenland describes all forms of transport in the autonomous region Greenland .
air traffic
The air traffic has a major role in Greenland. With the construction of the Bluie West-8 airport (now Kangerlussuaq airport ) by the American armed forces in 1941, the airports in Greenland had a military orientation for a long time. It was not until 1958 that civil aviation could start with the opening of Narsarsuaq Airport (formerly Bluie West-1 ). Over the years, other airports have been built, such as Nuuk Airport in 1979 and Ilulissat Airport in 1983. Today, Greenland has a total of 20 airfields, 13 of which are civil, and 51 heliports . Since there are no roads between the widely scattered villages even today , the plane or helicopter is often the fastest way to get from one place to another. There is an airport in almost every major city, for example in Aasiaat , Ilulissat , Maniitsoq , Nuuk , Paamiut , Qaanaaq , Sisimiut and Upernavik . The remaining cities and towns are served by helicopters.
With the establishment of Air Greenlands in 1960 ( Grønlandsfly until 2002 ), Greenland has a state-owned airline that operates helicopter connections to remote settlements on behalf of the Greenland government (Greenland: Naalakkersuisut ). It is also the only airline that offers flight connections within Greenland. These are operated exclusively with De Havilland DHC-8-200 . Kangerlussuaq Airport serves as the hub for this. Apart from Narsarsuaq Airport, it is the only airport where medium- haul and long-haul aircraft can land.
International connections exist six times a week in summer and four times in winter from Kangerlussuaq to Copenhagen , operated by Air Greenland with its own Airbus A330 . Air Greenland also offers the Nuuk - Keflavík connection . Air Iceland Connect flies to Reykjavík from Ilulissat, Kangerlussuaq, Kulusuk , Narsarsuaq, Nerlerit Inaat and Nuuk airports . Since January 2017, Air Iceland Connect has also been serving the Nerlerit Inaat - Akureyri route twice a week .
Until 2008 there was also a connection to the USA , namely to Baltimore from Kangerlussuaq Airport. Due to insufficient demand, the route was removed from the flight plan in March 2008. Since then - apart from the occasional charter flight to Iqaluit for large events - there have been no more direct connections to the North American mainland.
From time to time charter airlines such as Jet Time or Danish Air Transport offer flights from other European airports to Greenland.
AirZafari offers scenic flights over the Ilulissat Icefjord and the Ice Cap .
Fresh food in particular, which has to be imported, usually comes to Greenland on the Copenhagen – Kangerlussuaq route. Air freight therefore also plays a role.
shipping
Since all the settlements are on the coast of Greenland, shipping is also of great importance. Most of the larger towns have a port ; many more at least one pier.
From late April to late December or early January, Arctic Umiaq Line coastal ferries operate between Ilulissat and Qaqortoq. Stopovers are Aasiaat, Sisimiut, Kangaamiut , Maniitsoq, Nuuk, Qeqertarsuatsiaat , Paamiut and Arsuk . Narsaq is also approached during the summer .
Since January 2017 Disko Line has been operating routes between settlements with its fleet in South Greenland and Disko Bay , which Air Greenland previously flew with its helicopters.
With the exception of a few cruise ships, there are no ferries to other countries.
Many Greenlanders privately own small pleasure boats and dinghies . The classic kayak or Umiaq has moved into the background as an everyday means of transport; however, it is still popular for sport and tourism.
In addition to passenger shipping, cargo shipping is also relevant, especially in summer. Practically everything you need to live (furniture, cars, canned food, etc.) has to be imported from Denmark. There are two freighter shipping companies: Royal Arctic Line and Arctic Umiaq Line, which also offer passenger shipping . Royal Arctic Line operates a container line service between Nuuk and Aalborg in Denmark, and routes with passenger facilities are operated along the Greenland coast to supply the localities. Arctic Umiaq Line primarily serves the smaller settlements.
Road traffic
The road network in the larger settlements is in good condition; However, there are no roads between the villages. In the larger cities (for example in Nuuk, Sisimiut or Tasiilaq) there are cars and especially in the capital Nuuk there can be minor traffic jams, especially during rush hour. Nuuk has a well-developed bus network with four lines operated by Nuup Bussii . Snowmobiles are popular in winter, especially in and around Sisimiut . Dog sleds are still used primarily in northern Greenland , also to cover longer distances.
There are two traffic lights in all of Greenland . Both are in Nuuk.
In the many small settlements there are mostly only paths or slightly wider footpaths. Since the places are not that big either, they can be easily explored on foot. Quads are also available in most settlements for the transport of goods .
The bicycle as a means of transport, both in the small and in the larger towns, plays a subordinate role.
There are plans to build a 170-kilometer road from Kangerlussuaq to Sisimiut. It would be the first road in Greenland to connect two towns.
Rail transport
Greenland no longer has any railways . In the past there were several industrial railways that were used for mining or transporting fish. The best-known railway was the so-called Qoornoq X-press in Qoornoq near Nuuk, a factory railway with a 600 mm gauge, which from 1955 to 1971 transported fish from the port for further processing to a local hall. The wagons were pushed by hand. In addition to the works railway in Qoornoq, there were other railways, namely in Malmbjerget, Mestersvig , Qaqortoq, Ivittuut , Qullissat and Maamorilik .
Railways that transported people were never in use.
Web links
- Official website of the Greenland Aviation Authority Mittarfeqarfiit
- Official Air Greenland website
- Official website of the Arctic Umiaq Line
- Official website of Asiaq , Greenland's office for geospatial, hydrology, climate, environment and road construction
Individual evidence
- ↑ Welcome to Sondrestrom Air Base. Retrieved July 15, 2017 .
- ^ Remembering Bluie West One. Retrieved July 15, 2017 .
- ↑ About Naviair. Retrieved July 15, 2017 .
- ^ Air Greenland is the flag carrier airline of Greenland. Air Greenland, accessed July 15, 2017 .
- ^ Transportation to Kangerlussuaq. Air Greenland, accessed July 15, 2017 .
- ^ Out into the world. Air Greenland, accessed July 15, 2017 .
- ↑ Destinations: Greenland. Air Iceland Connect, accessed July 15, 2017 .
- ^ New traffic system in Southern Greenland and Disko Bay. Air Greenland, accessed July 15, 2017 .
- ^ Flightseeing in Greenland. Air Zafari, accessed July 15, 2017 .
- ↑ Schedule. Arctic Umiaq Line, accessed July 15, 2017 .
- ^ New traffic system in Southern Greenland and Disko Bay. Air Greenland, accessed July 15, 2017 .
- ↑ How do I get to Greenland? Retrieved July 15, 2017 .
- ↑ Bettina Seipp: Greenland and the advertisements for coffee parties. Die Welt, accessed July 15, 2017 .
- ↑ Kangerlussuaq vejprojekt. Qeqqata Kommunia, accessed July 15, 2017 (Danish).
- ↑ Greenland's Qoornoq X-press . In: BDEF Report 3/2009, p. 11 ( digitized version ( memento of the original from March 28, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove it Note. , PDF; 2.47 MB).
- ^ Narrow gauge railway on Greenland. Retrieved July 15, 2017 .
