The airport construction in Ilulissat is currently running at full speed and, according to Greenland Airports, is expected to open in the second half of 2026. 

The large airport construction in Ilulissat, which is being carried out by Munck Civil Engineering A/S and is expected to be completed next year, is in full swing.

The large airport construction

The 2.2 kilometer long runway is currently having the first of two layers of asphalt laid and the hangar, service building, control tower and terminal have been constructed.

The large airport construction in Ilulissat, which is being carried out by Munck Civil Engineering A/S and is expected to be completed next year, is in full swing.

The large airport constructionAnnouncement

The 2.2 kilometer long runway is currently having the first of two layers of asphalt laid and the hangar, service building, control tower and terminal have been constructed.

The airport project, where Greenland Aiports A/S is the developer, is taking shape, and the construction, which has been one of the largest blasting projects in Northern Europe at the moment, and which will employ over 140 people from all over the world over the summer, is proceeding according to plan, according to Daniel Jørgensen, who is employed by Munck Civil Engineering A/S as project manager for the airport construction.

Running as planned 

The terminal building, which is designed for around 450 passengers at the same time, and the runway, which is located close to the beach, will have a fantastic view directly out to Disko Bay, which is adorned with large icebergs. A temporary access road has been built to the new terminal area, but when it is closed, a new access road will be established, which will go through the current 900-meter-long runway, which will also avoid the need for major road construction on uneven terrain.

Munck Civil Engineering A/S is responsible for the construction project itself, which includes all blasting work, backfilling, water drainage, pavements and runway lights, while KJ Greenland A/S, a contracting and mining company, is responsible for the construction of the hangar, service building and terminal. There are currently around 115 employees at Munck, and according to Daniel Jørgensen, the number will increase to 145 in the near future.

– Right now our workforce is very strong and we have what we need, and many different professional groups are up and running, and the project is going really well, he says.

Subcontractors such as Strøm Hansen, one of Denmark’s leading specialists within automation, electrical service and installation solutions, and Arssarnerit, a nationwide Greenlandic company that helps public and private companies with technical contracting and service tasks, are working for Munck Civil Engineering A/S in connection with the airport construction in Ilulissat.

 Huge project 

The southern part of the runway is already paved with the first layer of asphalt and since the runway is close to the beach, where the area is very uneven, it has been necessary to build up to 30 meters in height with large stones in some places.

– About half has been asphalted with one layer, and our plan is to finish asphalting with the second layer over the entire runway, road network, parking lots and apron in October, says Daniel Jørgensen.

The apron is the area at an airport where aircraft are parked on stands, intended for picking up or dropping off cargo, passengers, refueling, boarding or maintenance. Laying the top layer of stone before the asphalt has just begun at the northern end. After which it is the apron’s turn to get the last layer of stone.

Munck Civil Engineering A/S produces all stone materials in all fractions in their own quarry on site. The only thing that is not produced locally is cement for the concrete and bitumen for the asphalt, which is sourced from Denmark.

– We have probably blasted and built around seven million cubic meters, so we have probably carried out Northern Europe’s largest blasting operation, where we have, among other things, blown away a mountain and subsequently filled a bay with blasting rock.

– It is a huge project that also requires a large number of different machines such as dump trucks, asphalt machines, excavators from 13 tons to 200 tons and much more, as well as many passenger cars, says the project manager.

Strøm Hansen’s employees have currently started laying around 70 kilometers of cables for all lighting on the runway, and the work is expected to be completed in early October. Munck Civil Engineering A/S also has its own asphalt plant, which will produce up to 60,000 tons of asphalt in the near future.

Multiethnic crew 

According to Daniel Jørgensen, about a third of the workers come from Denmark and Greenland, while about two-thirds come from various places such as Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.

– It is a multicultural airport project and considering this, we do not really experience any major challenges in relation to the diversity of nationalities in the daily work, says the project manager.

There is a camp at the construction site, where over 100 employees are accommodated. In addition to office facilities, the camp has its own canteen, laundry and workshop, which services several vehicles a day.

– So there’s a pretty big set-up behind the airport construction itself. You have to be a special kind of person to commit to that kind of workplace for that long.

– We have an internal bus service into the city after work for our employees, so that they have as much opportunity as possible for social interaction with the local population, says Daniel Jørgensen.

According to the project manager, it is important to have satisfied employees if they are going to work for such a long time. There have been small incidents, but not of the magnitude that causes problems for Munck’s employees.

The large airport construction in Ilulissat, which is being carried out by Munck Civil Engineering A/S and is expected to be completed next year, is in full swing.

The large airport construction

The 2.2 kilometer long runway is currently having the first of two layers of asphalt laid and the hangar, service building, control tower and terminal have been constructed.

The large airport construction in Ilulissat, which is being carried out by Munck Civil Engineering A/S and is expected to be completed next year, is in full swing.

The large airport constructionAnnouncement

The 2.2 kilometer long runway is currently having the first of two layers of asphalt laid and the hangar, service building, control tower and terminal have been constructed.

The airport project, where Greenland Aiports A/S is the developer, is taking shape, and the construction, which has been one of the largest blasting projects in Northern Europe at the moment, and which will employ over 140 people from all over the world over the summer, is proceeding according to plan, according to Daniel Jørgensen, who is employed by Munck Civil Engineering A/S as project manager for the airport construction.

Running as planned 

The terminal building, which is designed for around 450 passengers at the same time, and the runway, which is located close to the beach, will have a fantastic view directly out to Disko Bay, which is adorned with large icebergs. A temporary access road has been built to the new terminal area, but when it is closed, a new access road will be established, which will go through the current 900-meter-long runway, which will also avoid the need for major road construction on uneven terrain.

Munck Civil Engineering A/S is responsible for the construction project itself, which includes all blasting work, backfilling, water drainage, pavements and runway lights, while KJ Greenland A/S, a contracting and mining company, is responsible for the construction of the hangar, service building and terminal. There are currently around 115 employees at Munck, and according to Daniel Jørgensen, the number will increase to 145 in the near future.

– Right now our workforce is very strong and we have what we need, and many different professional groups are up and running, and the project is going really well, he says.

Subcontractors such as Strøm Hansen, one of Denmark’s leading specialists within automation, electrical service and installation solutions, and Arssarnerit, a nationwide Greenlandic company that helps public and private companies with technical contracting and service tasks, are working for Munck Civil Engineering A/S in connection with the airport construction in Ilulissat.

 Huge project 

The southern part of the runway is already paved with the first layer of asphalt and since the runway is close to the beach, where the area is very uneven, it has been necessary to build up to 30 meters in height with large stones in some places.

– About half has been asphalted with one layer, and our plan is to finish asphalting with the second layer over the entire runway, road network, parking lots and apron in October, says Daniel Jørgensen.

The apron is the area at an airport where aircraft are parked on stands, intended for picking up or dropping off cargo, passengers, refueling, boarding or maintenance. Laying the top layer of stone before the asphalt has just begun at the northern end. After which it is the apron’s turn to get the last layer of stone.

Munck Civil Engineering A/S produces all stone materials in all fractions in their own quarry on site. The only thing that is not produced locally is cement for the concrete and bitumen for the asphalt, which is sourced from Denmark.

– We have probably blasted and built around seven million cubic meters, so we have probably carried out Northern Europe’s largest blasting operation, where we have, among other things, blown away a mountain and subsequently filled a bay with blasting rock.

– It is a huge project that also requires a large number of different machines such as dump trucks, asphalt machines, excavators from 13 tons to 200 tons and much more, as well as many passenger cars, says the project manager.

Strøm Hansen’s employees have currently started laying around 70 kilometers of cables for all lighting on the runway, and the work is expected to be completed in early October. Munck Civil Engineering A/S also has its own asphalt plant, which will produce up to 60,000 tons of asphalt in the near future.

Multiethnic crew 

According to Daniel Jørgensen, about a third of the workers come from Denmark and Greenland, while about two-thirds come from various places such as Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.

– It is a multicultural airport project and considering this, we do not really experience any major challenges in relation to the diversity of nationalities in the daily work, says the project manager.

There is a camp at the construction site, where over 100 employees are accommodated. In addition to office facilities, the camp has its own canteen, laundry and workshop, which services several vehicles a day.

– So there’s a pretty big set-up behind the airport construction itself. You have to be a special kind of person to commit to that kind of workplace for that long.

– We have an internal bus service into the city after work for our employees, so that they have as much opportunity as possible for social interaction with the local population, says Daniel Jørgensen.

According to the project manager, it is important to have satisfied employees if they are going to work for such a long time. There have been small incidents, but not of the magnitude that causes problems for Munck’s employees.