Air Greenland has signed an agreement with leasing company Carlyle to lease an A320neo aircraft, which is scheduled to join the 2027 summer schedule. The lease agreement runs for six years with an option to extend and gives Air Greenland the flexibility to operate the new route between Ilulissat and Copenhagen, while further complementing the A330neo.   

The aircraft will be delivered in December 2026 and will then be adapted to Greenlandic conditions. It is expected to enter service in spring 2027, just in time for the first peak season at North Greenland's new airport, which is expected to open in late 2026 with a 2,200 metre runway. The A320neo will support the increased capacity made possible by the new international airport. 

'The delivery time for new Airbus aircraft is currently 6-7 years, so we have chosen to lease the aircraft to be ready when the new international airport in Ilulissat opens and to gain financial flexibility as the route is still new,’ says Jacob Nitter Sørensen, CEO. 

The A320neo will have a technical maintenance base in Copenhagen. SAS already maintains Air Greenland's A330-800 Neo, Tuukkaq, so it makes sense to have an A320 maintenance agreement with SAS in addition to the A330. 

The aircraft will be flown by Air Greenland employees and painted in Air Greenland's distinctive red colour with the company logo.  An important advantage of the Airbus family is that pilots and cabin crew can operate both the A330 and A320 on the same licence. Tuukkaq crews will therefore also be able to fly the new A320neo aircraft, supplemented by retrained Dash-8 pilots. The name of the new aircraft will be announced later. 

- We have high hopes for the new route to Ilulissat and see the lease agreement as a catalyst for exciting opportunities on our route network. 

Not least, we will be able to adjust capacity between the larger A330neo aircraft and the smaller A320neo,’ says Jacob Nitter Sørensen. 

A new fleet strategy was adopted when Air Greenland became 100% self-managed back in 2019. Since 2019, Air Greenland has updated its fleet with Airbus H155 helicopters, H225 for SAR operations, H125 for charter operations, and most recently with a brand new Airbus A330-800neo, Tuukkaq, flying on the transatlantic route.  

In the fleet strategy, the A330neo is complemented by wet-lease flights operated by Jettime.It has always been part of the strategy to acquire an additional aircraft of its own when jet engine production becomes large enough to justify additional capacity. This level will be reached when Ilulissat airport opens. In connection with the leasing of this aircraft, a number of Air Greenland's Dash-8 pilots will be retrained to fly the A320neo. 

The opening of the new airport in Ilulissat and the upcoming airport in Qaqortoq will not affect the domestic operations of the Dash-8.