Nuuk TMA Goes Live – Right on Schedule

At 06:00 local time on Thursday morning, the Nuuk TMA officially became operational. As we head into the summer season, this marks the beginning of a gradual easing of the restrictions that have so far limited the number of arrivals and departures at Nuuk Airport.

The new TMA (Terminal Manoeuvring Area) at Nuuk Airport means that Nuuk now has a dedicated approach and departure control service – Nuuk Approach – operated from Naviair's Flight Information Centre (FIC) in Nuuk.

The establishment of the Nuuk TMA has been made possible through close cooperation between Naviair, Greenland Airports, and the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority. The new TMA will improve regularity and operational flexibility, benefiting both airlines and, not least, passengers, as more aircraft will now be able to operate to and from Nuuk.

CEO Anders Rex says:

"At Naviair, we are both pleased and proud that we have successfully established the TMA and introduced air traffic control services in Nuuk before the start of the summer schedule at Nuuk Airport. Achieving this in less than six months is a testament to an extraordinary effort – both within Naviair and in close cooperation with Greenland Airports and the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority.

The rapid implementation has also been made possible because Naviair was able to establish the TMA within our existing unit in Nuuk – the Flight Information Centre – and because we have been able to utilise the global satellite-based surveillance infrastructure provided by Aireon. Had Naviair not been involved in establishing Aireon, we would not have been able to implement the TMA this quickly or with the level of capacity we have achieved.

Naviair is also extremely proud to continue contributing to the development of aviation in Greenland. We have been present in Greenland for more than 70 years, initially providing flight information services, which we will continue to deliver throughout the lower Greenlandic airspace, and now also providing air traffic control services within the TMA. Aviation is the backbone of Greenland's transport infrastructure, and Naviair is ready to deliver safe, secure, and efficient air traffic services together with Greenland Airports."

Nuuk Approach is responsible for handling arrivals and departures at Nuuk Airport, while the AFIS service at the airport continues to be provided by Greenland Airports. Arriving aircraft are transferred from Nuuk Approach to the AFIS service during the final stage of the approach, while departing aircraft are transferred from Nuuk AFIS to Nuuk Approach shortly after take-off.

Naviair would also like to extend a sincere thank you to GATE Aviation Training, which has been an important partner in training the air traffic controllers for Nuuk Approach.

The establishment of the TMA also introduces a new airspace structure in the lower Greenlandic airspace. Naviair has extensive experience in designing and implementing airspace changes, most recently through the creation of new training areas for the F-35 programme, which represented the largest airspace redesign in Denmark in many years.