Celebrations as Greenland’s very own airline turned 50

Greenlandair 1970-79

The heyday of the helicopter

Greenland flew into the 1970s accompanied by the deafening noise of the big S-61 helicopters. With fast increasing regularity, the red-white machines landed at the heliports which had been built in all the towns along the long west coast – from Nanortalik in the south to Upernavik in the north.

In Greenland’s mountainous terrain where there is no room for runways – and no roads between towns – the helicopter was the key to the future. It allowed aviation without runways. With 25 passengers on board and a speed of over 200 kilometres per hour the modern machines flitted through the air between the mountains and landed vertically on the small cement circles of the heliports.

The world’s largest route net

From the introduction of the first S-61s in 1965 helicopter traffic developed at an explosive pace. The number of S-61s grew during the 1970s from three to eight while Greenlandair developed the world’s largest helicopter route net.

The helicopters reached even the most remote regions and they challenged the dog sleds with regard to time and distance. In 1972 helicopters were introduced in the Ammassalik district on the east coast and three years later district flights were introduced in Thule.

Greenlandair had already gained experience in the versatile use of the helicopter in the 1960s – for ambulance flights, for search and rescue operations and for so-called sling flights with heavy loads hanging in wires under the helicopter. Now, Greenlandair systematized its helicopter expertise.

Greenlandic know-how

In 1972 a subsidiary company called Greenlandair Charter was established with a focus on flying for commercial customers. In Greenland, the company provided services for the Black Angel zinc mine in Maamorilik using a newly-purchased Bell 206 helicopter. And now for the first time ever, there was a demand for Greenlandic know-how on the world market. Greenlandair’s helicopters were chartered out for offshore jobs in connection with oil exploration in England, Scotland, Ireland, Norway, Canada, Alaska and Holland.

The S-61 helicopters were technically upgraded with better navigation systems and in 1976 they were certified for night operations. This extended the number of flying hours in the six-month winter period considerably, but the traffic system was sanding up. Passenger numbers had reached 60,000 by the end of the 1970s.

Sea ice reconnaissance

Since the tragic loss of the passenger ship Hans Hedtoft in 1959, daily observation flights had been carried out from Narsarsuaq of the waters around South Greenland, charting the extent and concentration of the sea ice so shipping in the region could avoid the most dangerous areas.

In early years, the observation flights were undertaken by military aircraft, later the Danish forces chartered aircraft from Greenlandair and in 1976 Greenlandair was given a contract for ice reconnaissance. A specially-equipped Twin Otter aircraft was purchased for the job and the same aircraft type, which is able to land with skis on snow and ice, was also used to fly supplies to the four American radar stations across Greenland – two of which were way out on the inland ice.

The number of employees grew sharply up through the 70s and now Greenlandair did not only train traffic assistants. The first four aircraft mechanics completed their training in 1974.