DNM DENIM Key people Gert Brask, Owner Founded 2013 Fleet size 0 | Destinations 0 Founder Gert Brask Headquarters Reykjavik, Iceland | |
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Sky Greenland (formerly known as Greenland Express) is a virtual airline headquartered in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland which started operations in June 2014, using a sole Fokker 100 leased from Denim Air ACMI.
Contents
History
Sky Greenland started operations on June 17, 2014 with two Fokker 100 aircraft (one in storage for possible new routes coming soon, and used for charter services), mainly flying between Greenland and Denmark, Kangerlussuaq - Narsarsuaq - Keflavik - Aalborg - Copenhagen. It had plans to operate from Akureyri in Iceland to other destinations in Europe. (direct flights from Akureyri save at least 4 hours travel time compared to changes at Reykjavík, partly because of the ground transfer needed). It also had plans to have a hub in Greenland in the future.
Operations were suspended in September 2014 (2014-09), three months after the carrier got airborne. In early 2015 it was announced that the airline was expecting to finalise a three-year wet lease agreement for two Airbus A319 aircraft. In April 2015 (2015-04), the carrier was granted permission to fly domestic services, which are expected to commence before August 2015 (2015-08). A 19-seat Let L-410 Turbolet aircraft (short-takeoff aircraft) will be used.
Plans to restart regular services in July and then August 2015 were abandoned. It is now pursuing its own Air Operator Certificate and plans to acquire up to 5 Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft.
A general problem for Greenland is that only two airports, Kangerlussuaq and Narsarsuaq, can handle large passenger aircraft but very few passengers live within road connection from those airports and most must transfer to local flights. Other airports accept only special short-takeoff planes which cannot reach Denmark, while some settlements can only accept helicopters. These local flights are operated by the competitor Air Greenland only, which raises passenger cost.
Destinations
Sky Greenland had plans to operate from Billund Airport and Copenhagen Airport to Kangerlussuaq Airport and Narsarsuaq Airport, but the airline was not able to launch operations in 2015. The airline was going to lease an Airbus A319-100 from BH Air, but problems with payment resulted with the contract not being completed.