Most travelers eventually know the message on the airport loudspeakers or on the e-mail.
“Unfortunately, we cannot provide hotel rooms for all passengers who were to take the flight, so we encourage everyone who can provide accommodation themselves to do so”.
Most travelers eventually know the message on the airport loudspeakers or on the e-mail.
“Unfortunately, we cannot provide hotel rooms for all passengers who were to take the flight, so we encourage everyone who can provide accommodation themselves to do so”.
Most recently it happened on Friday in Nuuk, where Tuukkaq once again had to return to Copenhagen without landing in Nuuk. Hotels had to be found for several hundred passengers for two nights, until the chartered replacement flight from Wamos departed on Sunday morning, while the last travelers affected by the cancellation did not depart until Tuesday.
– Thanks to several travelers finding a solution themselves, our staff managed to get enough hotel rooms on the night between Friday and Saturday, while a number of passengers had to make do with a camp bed in Hotel Hans Egede’s conference rooms from Saturday to Monday, says Air Greenland’s managing director Jacob Nitter Sørensen.
– It is clearly unsatisfactory, and we are very sad when it happens, admits the director.
– First of all, we are sorry on behalf of the passengers. It is tiring to spend the night on a camp bed if you have been staying in a hotel for a week. I would think so myself.
– But it is also a challenge in our organisation. Cancellations always stress the employees – and when we cannot always offer the solution that the passengers are entitled to, it creates a bad working environment. So we are all affected by the situation.
Great help from customers
Jacob Nitter Sørensen emphasizes that it is a really big help if local travelers in particular can provide accommodation themselves.
– It takes the pressure off, so we have better time and capacity to solve the challenges for the passengers who are not familiar with Greenland and do not have family who can help, says the director.
– Basically, the lack of hotel rooms is a sign of success, which we ourselves are a part of, because it shows that Greenland is successful in attracting travelers to the country.
– That’s why we would also like to see more hotels, but I’m just not sure that an expansion of hotel capacity will solve all the challenges. For hotels, things are best when all rooms are sold, so we probably also have to live with the fact that we occasionally find that we cannot get enough rooms.
This is how Air Greenland prioritizes
When there are cancellations and hotel rooms need to be found, Air Greenland prioritizes the passengers.
– First of all, we want to take care of passengers with special challenges. It can be families with children or people with illnesses, explains Jacob Nitter Sørensen.
– Unfortunately, it is not always possible to tell from the bookings who it is, so prioritization is not always possible.
Air Greenland then gives priority to passengers with flexible tickets.
– These are the most expensive tickets – and it is now the case that the more expensive the ticket, the better the service.
– This does not mean that passengers on the cheapest tickets will not be left in the lurch, because we want to give all travelers a good experience. Unfortunately, it’s just not always possible in the current situation. But again – it’s a big help for us when the passengers find accommodation themselves.
Not just Nuuk
It is not only in Nuuk that Air Greenland has challenges with hotel capacity. The same problems also affect the passages in Ilulissat and Qaqortoq.
– Both cities are popular tourist destinations, so here too the hotels are often fully occupied.
Jacob Nitter Sørensen is also an optimist.
– I hope the worst is over. 2025 was a terrible year, where we spent a total of around DKK 135 million in connection with cancellations, of which accommodation constitutes a significant part. It has become much better in 2026, which will also be evident from the half-year accounts, which are just around the corner, says the director.
– There are several reasons why things are progressing this year. The weather has simply been better this year, the operation of the airport in Nuuk has become more stable, and we have gotten rid of the restrictions that were at the airport before air traffic control was introduced, explains Jacob Nitter Sørensen.
