Status on Restrictions at Nuuk Airport: New Air Traffic Control Solution on the Way

The decision was made to address challenges Nuuk Airport has faced in managing traffic in the airspace above the airport. These challenges led the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority to introduce restrictions in September, limiting the number of landings and departures per hour. This limitation has affected both passenger traffic and business operations.

The choice of the TMA model has been made in close dialogue with Air Greenland and Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority, and we are in the final stages of negotiations with Naviair regarding establishment and operations. We expect to have an agreement in place before Christmas.

What is a TMA?

A TMA can be described as an “airspace box” above an airport, where air traffic controllers manage traffic before aircraft are handed over to the AFIS service closer to the airport.

Currently, the airspace above Nuuk is divided into two layers:

• Upper airspace – above approximately 6 kilometers – is already controlled and managed by air traffic controllers in Iceland and Canada, handling international traffic between North America and Europe.
• Lower airspace – below approximately 6 kilometers – has so far been uncontrolled airspace. Here, pilots have been responsible for maintaining safe separation from other aircraft, based on information from Flight Information Center (FIC) NAVIAIR.

With the new TMA solution, this lower airspace – within a defined area around Nuuk – will be controlled by air traffic controllers.

This solution will allow the current restrictions in Nuuk, which have limited the number of flights per hour, to be lifted. It means more efficient traffic handling and better conditions for growth in passenger traffic and business. The solution is an important step toward future-proofing air traffic in Nuuk.

“We are very pleased to be close to a solution that can lift the current restrictions and secure the future of air traffic in Nuuk. A TMA model will provide the necessary capacity and safety to handle increasing traffic, and we look forward to finalizing the agreement in the coming weeks, after which we will share further updates,” says Jens Lauridsen, CEO of Greenland Airports.

We expect the TMA solution to be operational by summer 2026.