Air Greenland is to introduce a narrowbody jet to its fleet, with the introduction of an Airbus A320neo scheduled for delivery at the end of next year.
The airline is to take the twinjet under a six-year lease from Carlyle.
It will be “adapted to Greenlandic conditions”, says the carrier, before being put into service in spring 2027, ahead of the peak season.
The aircraft will be used to operate services between Ilulissat – on the western coast, north of the capital Nuuk – and the Danish hub at Copenhagen.
Air Greenland says the aircraft will complement its Airbus A330-800 which also flies Copenhagen connections.
The carrier says a new runway at Ilulissat will enable it to increase capacity with the A320neo.
Obtaining a new aircraft directly from Airbus would have taken six or seven years, says chief executive Jacob Nitter Sorensen
“So we have chosen to lease the [A320neo] to be ready when the new international airport in Ilulissat opens, and to gain financial flexibility as the route is still new,” he adds.
Air Greenland will retrain De Havilland Dash 8 turboprop pilots for the new Airbus. Dash 8 domestic operations will not be affected by the Airbus introduction.
It says the acquisition of the aircraft had “always been part of the strategy” once jet traffic became sufficient.
