They are new times for aviation in South Greenland, where the airport in Qaqortoq has caused great joy and optimism.
But before the doors could open and the planes could land, the state regulatory authority, the Swedish Transport Agency, had to say yes to safety. Just as the agency already does at other airports and heliports in the kingdom.
Two of those who helped approve the whole thing in Qaqortoq are aviation inspectors Jonas Smed Sørensen and Mathias Niels Rydbjerg, whom Sermitsiaq met at the new airport.
– I have always been fascinated by aviation, all the way back when I was on a school placement at Aalborg Airport in the 7th grade. I didn’t know then that I wanted to work with it, says Jonas.
Nor did Niels know in advance that he would have to use his engineering education for something with airports. Initially, it was more something else that drew him in the direction of the Swedish Transport Agency.
– One of the reasons for choosing this job was precisely to have the opportunity to work in Greenland. Then I came to like aviation, says Niels.
What you see on the ground
The Swedish Transport Agency’s aviation inspectors have different specialties. Niels tells us about working in the team called Airports or ADR.
– It is about land-based infrastructure. That is, it is about the track, it is about light, it is about everything that you can see on the ground. And then it’s about operations at the airport, about fire and rescue services, refueling and reporting and more.
Jonas has a special role with all the administrative stuff, he says:
– There are really, really many approvals that have to be in order within aviation. All of this must be formulated and coordinated across several different offices in the Swedish Transport Agency. This is of course especially true when new airports are to be opened, such as now in Qaqortoq.
It’s more fun to take pictures of exciting machines than bureaucracy, so the Swedish Transport Agency has invited us into the garage for a look behind the scenes. They have spent a lot of working time here lately.
For the opening of Qaqortoq, we saw the emergency vehicles in the cozy way as they welcomed the new airport and Nuuk route with lights and sirens.
But if the accident does occur, it is crucial that Greenland Airports’ people and machines are ready for quick and effective action.
– At airports, we call a fire truck a crash tender, explains Niels.
– Yes, there really is a lot of technical language in aviation, observes Jonas.
They say that there have sometimes been two fire drills a day in Qaqortoq, so they were sure to achieve everything necessary before the opening.
From the garage we can look out towards the new runway. Naturally, there have also been a lot of tests and exercises out there. It is serious work, but still with the possibility of good humor along the way, we are told.
– One of the tests involves simulating a birdstrike. That is, when a plane hits a bird during take-off or landing. Here, the procedure requires the task leader to go out on the field and find this bird, says Niels and continues:
– There we had placed the remains of the chicken from lunch out on the pitch. To make it as realistic as possible, and at the same time a little funny. At least a real laugh came out of it when he found those chicken legs.
Is there really a difference between inspecting airports in Denmark and Greenland?
– Yes, up here we experience in a different way that we know people. It is a small community in Greenland, where you get to know each other when you come here. This also applies when you come as a supervisory authority, says Jonas.
– I completely agree. Of course we also meet people in Denmark. But in Greenland, you can easily build up a relationship with an entire airport, from the boss to the individual employee in the terminal, so that you smile when you meet them again, notes Niels.
It is nice to have good relationships and at the same time practical in the job, they say further. Not least when you have to tell the staff how to do different things.
– When we come as an authority, some may find it a little intimidating to be at some kind of exam. So it’s about building a relationship where we all feel we can be in it and that we see a common mission, says Jonas.
Nuuk as a highlight
Are there any airports in Greenland that mean something special to you?
– I have something special for Kangerlussuaq and Narsarsuaq, where I have been so often. After all, I got to know Greenland through those airports, just as many others have, says Jonas, who previously worked with the area in Self-Government.
Niels thinks back to his first airport opening in 2024. His recollection expresses how much he actually came to like aviation along the way.
– The new airport in Nuuk will always have a special place in my heart. When I get old, I want to sit and remember the time I helped approve it. How I drove around on it before it opened, and the lights were razor sharp while I was alone out on the track, says Niels.
The airport in Nuuk is also an example of the fact that the Swedish Transport Agency can introduce bans and traffic restrictions if they find that something is completely wrong.
Such things can undeniably be annoying for the rest of us, who have our travel plans disrupted. But there is no desire in the Swedish Transport Agency to inconvenience the travellers. Quite the contrary, emphasizes Jonas.
– I think there was a colleague who said at one point: “We work on paper for the Swedish Transport Agency, but we actually work for the passenger sitting in the plane”, says Jonas and adds:
– I think the same myself. We work so that you can be safe and secure when you get into planes and helicopters, here in Qaqortoq and everywhere else. I am happy to contribute to that.
