Air Greenland Acquiring Airbus A320neo To Fly Between Ilulissat & Copenhagen

It’s an interesting time for aviation in Greenland. We’re witnessing huge investments in the territory’s aviation infrastructure, and as a result, we’re also seeing quite a bit of extra air service there. In early 2025, government-owned Air Greenland announced that it would double its jet fleet. There’s now an update, as we’re just months from the plane entering service, and we now have a better sense of how this will all play out. Air Greenland will fly Airbus A320neo as of April 2027Air Greenland plans to fly the Airbus A320neo out of IlulissatBottom line Air Greenland will fly Airbus A320neo as of April 2027 Currently, Air Greenland’s fixed-wing fleet consists of nine passenger aircraft, including one Airbus A330-800neo and eight De Havilland Dash 8-200 turboprops (this is in addition to a pretty cool helicopter fleet). Beyond that, Air Greenland has signed an agreement with leasing company Carlyle, to acquire an Airbus A320neo aircraft. This plane is expected to enter service as of the spring of 2027. Currently, the lease agreement runs for six years, with an option to extend that term. Air Greenland is acquiring an Airbus A320neo Air Greenland decided to lease the aircraft rather than purchase it directly due to the current timeline for new Airbus jet deliveries, as this allowed the airline to get the plane ASAP. This isn’t even a new plane — the airline is acquiring a nearly 10-year-old jet that has flown for Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) since 2016. It had the registration code LN-RGO, and soon it will have the registration code OY-GRL. The A320neo will have a technical maintenance base in Copenhagen, which is also where Air Greenland’s A330-800neo is maintained. Pilots and cabin crew will be able to work both the A330 and A320 with the same license, so Air Greenland sees this as a big benefit of the arrangement, compared to another aircraft. As a reminder, the A330 is a wide body jet, while the A320 is a narrow body jet. Air Greenland is configuring its A320neo with 168 seats, with seats spread across 29 rows, in a 3-3 configuration. You can find all the cabin details here. The cabin will feature 18 premium class seats and 150 economy class seats. While premium class has improved legroom and more attentive and extensive service, it’s still in a 3-3 configuration, which is kind of a bummer, as there won’t even be blocked middle seats. Air Greenland Airbus A320neo seat map Air Greenland plans to fly the Airbus A320neo out of Ilulissat What does Air Greenland plan to do with its new Airbus A320neo? Keep in mind that currently, the carrier’s Airbus A330-800neo is typically flown between Nuuk (GOH) and Copenhagen (CPH). So the plan is to use the A320neo to also fly to Copenhagen, but out of Ilulissat (JAV), in northern Greenland. Air Greenland will have two routes to Copenhagen As mentioned above, we’re currently seeing significant airport expansion projects in Greenland. Up until 2024, Kangerlussuaq (SJF) was Greenland’s gateway airport. While the area doesn’t have a big population and isn’t the primary place people want to visit, it was the only airport capable of handling a jet. So passengers would funnel through there, and then take connecting turboprop flights to elsewhere in Greenland. Fortunately in late 2024, we saw an expanded airport open in Nuuk, so that Greenland’s biggest city now also gets the most air service. Next up, Ilulissat is also getting an expanded airport, which is actually opening very shortly. Up until now, the airport only had an 880-meter runway, capable of handling turboprops, but not jets. In 2024, an expanded airport opened in Nuuk, Greenland However, we’re now seeing the opening of a 2,200-meter runway, able to accommodate jets. So the timing here really is perfect, as the jet is arriving just shortly after the expanded airport opens. Ilulissat is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Greenland, so travel there will be greatly simplified. Air Greenland has already put flights on sale for its new service between Ilulissat and Copenhagen. Flights launch on April 19, 2026, and will operate with the following schedule: GL705 Copenhagen to Ilulissat departing 9:45AM arriving 11:45AM GL706 Ilulissat to Copenhagen departing 1:15PM arriving 9:00PM The 2,125-mile flight is blocked at 5hr westbound and 4hr45min eastbound. Note that Air Greenland will technically be selling tickets in the market for flights before the above date, but the flights will be operated by a leased Jettime Boeing 737-800. Bottom line Air Greenland will be expanding its jet fleet, as the airline soon plans to start flying an Airbus A320neo. The timing here coincides with the opening of the expanded airport in Ilulissat, and the plan is for the airline to add another link to Copenhagen. In terms of the onboard experience, the airline will have a premium cabin on the A320neo, which is nice. However, it’s not much to get excited about, as it’s in a 3-3 configuration (without blocked seats), so it’s just about the extra legroom and better service. I’ve been wanting to visit Greenland and fly Air Greenland for a long time, and this will finally be the summer where it happens, so I can fly both the A320neo and A330neo. What do you make of Air Greenland acquiring an Airbus A320neo?