Moving mountains to connect Greenland with the world from Ilulissat

Building an international airport in Ilulissat is no ordinary infrastructure project. Challenging terrain, harsh weather, short construction seasons and complex logistics all had to be considered in the design and construction of the new airport.

The project includes a 2,200-metre runway, apron areas and site development for the airport buildings, as well as an extension of the existing access road and new parking areas.

Creating the airport platform required extensive earthworks and rock excavation. Around 0.7 million m³ of soil was excavated, 5.5 million m³ of rock blasted and approximately 7.7 million m³ of crushed rock placed.

COWI contributed multidisciplinary engineering and design expertise to develop solutions suited to the Arctic conditions and the operational requirements of a modern international airport. 

More than a runway

The result is much more than 2,200 metres of new runway.
The airport creates new opportunities for direct international connections and strengthens mobility to and from the northern part of Greenland. Together with the wider airport programme, it contributes to the ongoing modernisation of Greenland’s transport network.

For COWI, the opening marks another milestone in a long-term collaboration on Greenland’s airport infrastructure as we have served as engineering designer for Greenland Airports’ airport programme since 2017, covering the projects in Nuuk, Ilulissat and Qaqortoq.