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  • Air Greenland helicopter flying above mountains. By Humbert Entress

Helicopter flying in Greenland

One man’s transport is another man’s aerial adventure

A SMALL RED BUMBLEBEE

Chop, chop, chop, CHOP, CHOP. The thumping pulse of a helicopter somewhere in the Arctic heavens is heard long before its source reveals itself. But then, a tiny dot on the horizon materializes into a small red bumblebee dwarfed against the surrounding mountains. Just a few minutes later, an Air Greenland helicopter is suddenly overhead and ready for graceful landing.

This is a familiar and comforting experience in Greenland because it means that transport throughout our vast country is running according to schedule, and that Greenlanders and Greenland Pioneers alike are reaching their destinations.

"When I look down at the water, the feeling is so strong that I could cry! Because you cannot explain how immense the nature is in Greenland with pictures. It is just so beautiful!”
- Globetrotter

Continues further down the page...

Package Tours

Secret Atlas: Scoresbysund photo tour

Secret Atlas

Scoresbysund photo tour

Encounter the majestic beauty of Scoresbysund under the northern lights. Small group photo expedition with Virgil Reglioni and only 12 guests.

From €13,650
Bowhunting Greenland: Muskox Hunting

Bowhunting Greenland

Muskox Hunting

Bowhunting Greenland offers quality Muskox hunting with helicopter transfers for big mature trophies in our remote concession area.

FROM $5,500
Arctic Hiking and Expeditions: Arctic Villages in East Greenland

Arctic Hiking and Expeditions

Arctic Villages in East Greenland

Visit the region's villages and its capital, Tasilaq. Learn about Inuit culture, climb Kuummiit mountain and enjoy sailing among icebergs.

FROM €3,349
Nomad Greenland: Ilulissat to Saqqaq: 6 Days of Arctic Magic

Nomad Greenland

Ilulissat to Saqqaq: 6 Days of Arctic Magic

Embrace Arctic enchantment with colossal icebergs, breathtaking landscapes, and the rich tapestry of Inuit culture.

FROM €5,615
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LIFELINE IN GREENLAND

Helicopters are truly a lifeline in Greenland. Of up to 70 inhabited towns and settlements only 13 have airplane runways, leaving transportation to the vast majority of the country up to the fleet of helicopters that create a highway in the sky. Out in the settlements, the helistop is simply a flat area in the terrain, and luggage arrives by ATV or snowmobile. Adaptations like this are key to keeping Greenland connected.

In addition to commercial routes, Air Greenland also provides helicopter charter services in connection with mining exploration, documentary and movie filming, special interest photography, as well as for Search and Rescue missions, when needed.

With so much responsibility in Greenland, one can easily see why we proudly consider our helicopter pilots among the most amazing in the world.

Air Greenland FACTS

  • Air Greenland website:

    www.airgreenland.com

  • The view

    Air Greenland helicopters fly at around 300-600 m / 1000-2000 ft, giving flightseers an extremely detailed view of Greenland below. Compare that with fixed-wing airplanes, which typically fly at an altitude of 7000 m / 23000 ft.

  • Fleet size

    Air Greenland has twice as many helicopters than fixed-wing airplanes in its fleet.

  • Accesibility

    Out of up to 70 inhabited places in Greenland, a whopping 80% are only accessible by helicopter.

TOURIST FLIGHTSEEING

An aerial perspective is the only one that gives a true sense of the scale in Greenland, and tourists often consider flightseeing as the highlight excursion. A town which can feel rather large when standing in city center suddenly reveals how small its footprint really is along the vast coastline.And the media can rave about icebergs the size of Manhattan calving from a glacier, but you cannot imagine what that actually looks like until you see it with your own eyes. Flightseeing via helicopter is also completely unique because you see details that you would otherwise miss from an airplane. Flying low and slow, Greenland’s spectacular natural features like glacial moulins and breathing holes in the sea ice made by seals seem to be right below your feet. There is even the possibility to make a U-turn and fly by an especially spectacular ice sculpture one more time!

Come fly with us for an unforgettable experience! We bid all of you, Tikilluaritsi! Welcome!

Explore related articles, offers and tour providers:

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By Sarah Woodall

Sarah is a former Visit Greenland employee who now continues the adventure as Destination Manager in South Greenland.

https://2kalaallitnunaatigo.wordpress.com/

Editors' pick

Gill is winter hiking in Ilulissat. Photo by Gill and Alistair Campbell

A senior’s guide to adventure in Greenland

There are more and more active travellers who are over 60 but still looking for adventure and new places to discover.

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A view on Tasiilaq. Photo by Chris König

A journey into East Greenland – iceberg, glaciers, and local life

From Kulusuk we leave in the direction of Tasiilaq and almost the first things we see are the massive icebergs floating around.

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New flight schedule makes Greenland more accessible

Big changes for Greenland tourism: Nuuk’s new international airport opens Nov 28, 2024, with two more until 2026.

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Photo workshop under the glacier. Photo by Norris Niman - Visit Greenland

Discovering the ancient – East Greenland’s ultimate ice cave expedition

Equipped with crampons and a helmet, we crunched over the ice and into the mouth of the cave. Our torchlight illuminated the otherwise pitch-black surroundings, revealing a grand expanse.

  • #East Greenland
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