KANGERLUSSUAQ AIRPORT GREENLAND
SONDRE STROMFJORD AIRPORT
ex SONDRESTROM AIRBASE and BLUE WEST 8

BGSF / SFJ
67,01N  50,69W

Kangerlussuaq Airport is located at the end of the 180 km long fjord called
Kangerlussuaq in the Inuit language and Sondre Stromfjord in Danish, about 20 km
from the icecap. The airport was set up in 1941 by the famous Col. Bernt Balchen as an
US airbase enabling aircrafts flying between the American and European continents a
refuel and stop over site. The airbase was called Blue West 8. Today it is a pure
civilian airport and due to its long runway (2813m), something rare in Greenland, it serves
as the gateway to Greenlands domestic network. The settlement has only about 400
inhabitants and the majority of them works at the airport. Kangerlussuaq is also an
important stop and refuel airport for transatlantic flights with general aviation aircrafts.

Greenlandair De Havilland DHC7 OY-GRE "Taateraaq" at the apron on 1 August 2001. The Dash 7 is
workhorse and backbone in Greenlands domestic network of short runway airports (800m runways).
It is impressive to see this STOL aircraft lift of the runway sometimes after only 300 meters/1000 feet!
Greenlands Dash 7 aircrafts are equipped with cargo doors and are used as pure cargo aircrafts on
some routes.
 Digital photo by Olympus Camedia E10

A view over Kangerlussuaq Airport from the beacon hill 30 July 2001.
Digital photo by Olympus Camedia E10

SAS Boeing B767-383ER LN-RCF msn 24849 lines up on  runway 28 in the evening of 27 July 2001
for a 4 hour 50 minutes flight to Copenhagen. 
 Digital photo by Olympus Camedia E10

Greenlandair Boeing B757-236 OY-GRL msn 25620 close to touch down on runway 28 after a flight from
Copenhagen. This flight continued to Thule Airbase in the far North West of Greenland.
 Digital photo by Olympus Camedia E10

These two ski equipped US Air Force Lockheed C130 Hercules, 21095 and 30490, from New York
Air Guard arrived in the afternoon of 31 July 2001. They departured next morning for a mission to
position 71N 42W which is in the middle of the ice cap.
Digital photo by Olympus Camedia E10

Canadian First Air fly the route Kangerlussuaq to Iqaluit (Frobisher Bay) on Baffin Island, Canada.
This Boeing B727-233 C-GXFA msn 20938  is a combi version and carries cargo in the forward
part of the fuselage and passengers in the rear part.
Digital photo by Olympus Camedia E10

Dassault Falcon 50 OY-LIN taxies to the general aviation ramp. This was an ambulance flight
to Copenhagen.
Digital photo by Olympus Camedia E10

Air Alpha Cesna C208B Caravan OY-TPG "Paartoq" msn 810 taxies to the runway. This aircraft is
hired by the Greenland Mail Authority to fly mail and parcels between the Greenlandic communities.
Digital photo by Olympus Camedia E10

Flying in Greenland is demanding. This is the remains of a crashed Lockheed T33A jet trainer some
15 km east of Kangerlussuaq. I was told that this aircraft together with two other T33's were trapped in
bad weather 8 August 1968 and could'nt make their way down to Sondrestrom Airbase. The crews
was forced to eject and came down safely, but the aircrafts crashed up the valley close to the icecap.
Can anyone verify or give me more information about this event? Please drop me an e-mail - thanks. 
Digital photo by Olympus Camedia E10

author: Lars Wahlstrom
e-mail:

This page was last updated 3 August 2001

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