Greenland NAT Alternates: April 2026 Update

It has been a busy year of change for Greenland’s airports. Here is the current operational picture for the main NAT alternates as of April 2026.

BGQO/Qaqortoq

BGQO/Qaqortoq is the big change – but it hasn’t gone to plan. The airport opened mid-April 2026 to replace BGBW/Narsarsuaq as the main southern option, but it is not yet fully operational.

Currently, BGQO is closed to all fixed-wing ops except Air Greenland and military until further notice.

Behind the scenes, there are still a few key issues to resolve before full ops can start. Apron control has not yet been signed off by the CAA, runway condition reporting needs improvement before it’s considered reliable, and AvGas is unavailable after damage to the fuel truck in transit.

When it does fully open, the setup is still expected to be as planned:

Runway: 1501 x 30m (asphalt, Code 3C)
Approaches: RNP LNAV/VNAV only (no precision)
Airspace: AFIS, Class G with 20NM RMZ
Fire cover: up to CAT 7 (with prior notice for larger aircraft)
Fuel: Jet A1 and AvGas available

You can find full info on BGQO in the AIP here.

PPR will be mandatory – and enforced. This is not the usual Greenland “call ahead and hope” setup. Expect to coordinate accurate ETAs and get approval in advance, including for alternate use. Published hours are Mon-Sat 0900-1800z, closed Sundays and holidays, with PPR required outside those hours.

This is a problem operationally because BGBW has now closed to fixed-wing traffic, leaving very limited options in southern Greenland while BGQO gets sorted.

For now, this is not usable as a NAT alternate or tech stop. There’s no clear timeline for reopening to GA or wider traffic.

Bottom line: BGQO was meant to be the new go-to in the south, but it’s not there yet – don’t plan on using it for now.

BGBW/Narsarsuaq

Narsarsuaq closed to fixed-wing traffic on Apr 17 (when BGQO/Qaqortoq was supposed to become operational). So arrivals and departures are no longer accepted and the airport has transitioned to heliport-only ops for the local community.

Operationally, nothing has changed:

Runway: 1800m
Approaches: non-precision only
Frequent poor weather and terrain constraints

BGSF/Sondrestrom

Plans to downgrade Sondrestrom from ATC to AFIS have been cancelled. In one of the shortest AICs we’ve ever seen, Naviair confirmed that BGSF would remain fully controlled until further notice.

Word from behind the scenes is that it was recently evaluated that ongoing demand for BGSF was solid enough to warrant full ATC.

Operationally, this is still the most reliable Greenland alternate:

Runway: 2800m
Fewer terrain issues than coastal airports
Generally more stable weather

If you want something predictable in central Greenland, this is still the go-to.

BGGH/Nuuk

Nuuk is now fully established as a jet-capable airport with a 2200m runway, ILS approaches at both ends, and regular airline traffic. On paper, it is now a very capable NAT alternate.

The only current Notam limitation is that parking on all aprons is limited to a maximum of 72 hours (PERM Notam).

The bigger thing to watch now is a coming airspace change, from 14 May 2026:

A TMA (Class C) when Nuuk Approach is active (roughly 08-23 local)
ADS-B required for all flights in the TMA up to FL195 during those hours
Outside those hours, airspace reverts to Class G
At night, ADS-B not required, but prior coordination with Nuuk ATC is required

See AIC 1-26 for full details of all that.

So the picture at BGGH/Nuuk is much better than it was a few months ago – but it’s still not totally straightforward. It is usable again, but with tighter airspace rules and some practical limits like the 72-hour parking cap.

Nuuk has been significantly expanded to accommodate large jet aircraft.

BGJN/Ilulissat

The new 2200m runway at BGJN/Ilulissat is still due to open in Fall 2026. Once open, this will give northern Greenland another serious jet-capable airport, broadly similar to BGGH/Nuuk.

A reminder about after-hours fees

Look out for surprise fees if you use BGBW/Narsarsuaq or BGSF/Sondrestrom as alternates after hours (overnight 20-11z or anytime on Sundays). You will be charged the better part of $3000 USD to keep standby equipment on watch, and runways clear of snow.

Some insider advice – advance notice reduces the cost. If you need one of these cheaper outside of normal operating hours, provide at least 24 hours’ notice.

Bottom line

Greenland is mid-transition right now, but with a bigger gap than expected:

BGQO has opened but is currently not usable for most traffic
BGBW has now closed to fixed-wing ops
BGGH is now the main southern option and generally dependable, but with some airspace and parking limitations
BGSF remains the most reliable and predictable option overall

In practical terms, southern Greenland capacity is now concentrated at BGGH/Nuuk. Plan alternates carefully and don’t rely on BGQO yet!

A special thanks to our agent in the field

Spare a thought for the unsung hero of this article. It might be March, but it’s still seriously cold out there – well below freezing most days, and worse with wind chill.

Apparently, high quality jackets are no joke – as evidenced below. Thank you for your help assembling this article!

Greenland NAT Alternates: April 2026 Update