Cancellations, technical problems and angry passengers. It has been a challenging winter – both in the air and within the company. In a new podcast, Air Greenland’s CEO, Jacob Nitter Sørensen, shares his experience of the crisis.

You can listen to the entire podcast at the bottom of the article.

The sun shines over Nuup Kangerlua, where ice floes quietly drift by.

The sun shines over Nuup Kangerlua

You can listen to the entire podcast at the bottom of the article.

Announcement

The sun shines over Nuup Kangerlua, where ice floes quietly drift by.

The sun shines over Nuup Kangerlua

From the view at the new international airport in Nuuk – a large-scale investment in Greenland’s future – Air Greenland’s CEO, Jacob Nitter Sørensen, reflects on over six months marked by criticism, chaos and cancellations.

– It’s been tough. I know what it means for both passengers and employees, he says.

Tuukkaq-aflysning koster op til 2,5 mio. kr.

While the Tuukkaq plane landed without any problems today, this has been far from the case in the past. A total of 32 transatlantic flights have been either cancelled or forced to turn back this year – with major financial consequences.

While the Tuukkaq plane landed without any problems today, this has not been the case in the past. A total of 32 transatlantic flights have been either cancelled or forced to turn back this year – with major financial consequences.

– We say that typically a day like this, where we either cancel Tuukkaq or turn around, costs anywhere from 1 to 2.5 million kroner, says Jacob Nitter Sørensen.

He emphasizes that the winter of 2025 has brought unusually bad weather throughout the country – not just in Nuuk.

– The days when we haven’t been able to land with Tuukkaq, we haven’t been able to land with the Dash-8s either. And it hasn’t just been Nuuk – it’s also been in Ilulissat and Sisimiut. So I think it’s a bit too cheap to say that it’s only about Tuukkaq, says the director.

“Alle føler sig nedprioriteret”

Helicopter traffic in North Greenland has also been hit by technical problems, and some passengers have experienced delays of up to a month. The dissatisfaction is palpable.

– We are bombarded from all over Greenland with: “Now you have to invest extra in the north, or you have to invest extra in the east or south.” But we do what we can – everyone feels downgraded.

The criticism is particularly evident on social media such as Facebook. However, he does not take the complaints too seriously.

– First of all, I think that’s kind of how social media is today. There’s a bit of excitement, a bit of drama and so on. Of course people will write about it. We also just have to remember that in the past, when you were stranded in Kangerlussuaq and were accommodated in a sports hall – or if we didn’t have enough rooms – you also wrote about it on social media, says Jacob Nitter Sørensen.

Lærer af klager

Some complaints, however, persist. One episode in particular from North Greenland in 2024 stands out clearly in my memory.

– One of the ones I remember best is actually from North Greenland last year, where the weather was also really bad. Low clouds, fog… We haven’t been able to fly for many days. Then we start using boats.

But it turned out to be a bad solution.

– It turns out quite unfortunate. They get out into bad weather, and there are also some things happening on the boat in relation to the technology. So the customers actually become quite uneasy. Of course they come forward, but there were some of the customers who called afterwards and told about the incident.

Since then, Air Greenland has tightened up on the use of boat transport as an alternative solution.

– Sometimes we are perhaps a little too good at trying to solve problems at all costs. And we have tightened up a lot around the boat transport thing, he says.

Listen to the entire podcast below, where Jacob Nitter Sørensen talks about his transition from pilot to director, the announced ticket price increases and his thoughts on the future.

Listen to the entire podcast below, where Jacob Nitter Sørensen talks about his transition from pilot to director, the announced ticket price increases and his thoughts on the future.

You can listen to the entire podcast at the bottom of the article.

The sun shines over Nuup Kangerlua, where ice floes quietly drift by.

The sun shines over Nuup Kangerlua

You can listen to the entire podcast at the bottom of the article.

Announcement

The sun shines over Nuup Kangerlua, where ice floes quietly drift by.

The sun shines over Nuup Kangerlua

From the view at the new international airport in Nuuk – a large-scale investment in Greenland’s future – Air Greenland’s CEO, Jacob Nitter Sørensen, reflects on over six months marked by criticism, chaos and cancellations.

– It’s been tough. I know what it means for both passengers and employees, he says.

Tuukkaq-aflysning koster op til 2,5 mio. kr.

While the Tuukkaq plane landed without any problems today, this has been far from the case in the past. A total of 32 transatlantic flights have been either cancelled or forced to turn back this year – with major financial consequences.

While the Tuukkaq plane landed without any problems today, this has not been the case in the past. A total of 32 transatlantic flights have been either cancelled or forced to turn back this year – with major financial consequences.

– We say that typically a day like this, where we either cancel Tuukkaq or turn around, costs anywhere from 1 to 2.5 million kroner, says Jacob Nitter Sørensen.

He emphasizes that the winter of 2025 has brought unusually bad weather throughout the country – not just in Nuuk.

– The days when we haven’t been able to land with Tuukkaq, we haven’t been able to land with the Dash-8s either. And it hasn’t just been Nuuk – it’s also been in Ilulissat and Sisimiut. So I think it’s a bit too cheap to say that it’s only about Tuukkaq, says the director.

“Alle føler sig nedprioriteret”

Helicopter traffic in North Greenland has also been hit by technical problems, and some passengers have experienced delays of up to a month. The dissatisfaction is palpable.

– We are bombarded from all over Greenland with: “Now you have to invest extra in the north, or you have to invest extra in the east or south.” But we do what we can – everyone feels downgraded.

The criticism is particularly evident on social media such as Facebook. However, he does not take the complaints too seriously.

– First of all, I think that’s kind of how social media is today. There’s a bit of excitement, a bit of drama and so on. Of course people will write about it. We also just have to remember that in the past, when you were stranded in Kangerlussuaq and were accommodated in a sports hall – or if we didn’t have enough rooms – you also wrote about it on social media, says Jacob Nitter Sørensen.

Lærer af klager

Some complaints, however, persist. One episode in particular from North Greenland in 2024 stands out clearly in my memory.

– One of the ones I remember best is actually from North Greenland last year, where the weather was also really bad. Low clouds, fog… We haven’t been able to fly for many days. Then we start using boats.

But it turned out to be a bad solution.

– It turns out quite unfortunate. They get out into bad weather, and there are also some things happening on the boat in relation to the technology. So the customers actually become quite uneasy. Of course they come forward, but there were some of the customers who called afterwards and told about the incident.

Since then, Air Greenland has tightened up on the use of boat transport as an alternative solution.

– Sometimes we are perhaps a little too good at trying to solve problems at all costs. And we have tightened up a lot around the boat transport thing, he says.

Listen to the entire podcast below, where Jacob Nitter Sørensen talks about his transition from pilot to director, the announced ticket price increases and his thoughts on the future.

Listen to the entire podcast below, where Jacob Nitter Sørensen talks about his transition from pilot to director, the announced ticket price increases and his thoughts on the future.