Tasiilamukarniarluni ullut 15-it kinguaattoortoq: – Taama sivisutigisumik angerlarniarsaraluni stressernarpoq

In a hotel apartment in Qinngorput, Thomas Ørum Kristensen welcomes us, almost as if it were his own home. And in many ways it has become so. For over two weeks, he, his wife, and other stranded travelers have lived together while they have waited to move on to Tasiilaq.

The apartment contains four rooms, all occupied by travelers who, like Thomas, have been delayed.

– We have become a kind of family, says Thomas Ørum Kristensen with a laugh.

The couple arrived in Nuuk on January 12th after a Christmas holiday in Denmark. The plan was to travel on to Tasiilaq the following day. Instead, they have been stranded for 15 days. When we meet him on Tuesday, he is closely following the weather forecast for East Greenland.

– Maybe. Now we'll see, he says about the prospect of finally coming home.

Technology and weather put a stop

62-year-old Thomas Ørum Kristensen is a self-employed entrepreneur and owner of Tasiilaq Renovation. He and his wife traveled to Denmark on December 20 to celebrate Christmas with their children and grandchildren.

After more than a month away from home and two weeks of involuntary stay in Nuuk, patience is strained.

“It’s hard to manage everything over the phone. It’s very stressful to be away for so long,” he says.

According to Air Greenland, the problems began on January 10th, when technical faults were detected on the helicopter flying between Kulusuk and Tasiilaq. A temporary solution with a smaller helicopter from Narsarsuaq was attempted, but had to be abandoned due to the weather.

– However, this was not possible due to the weather on the route, so another plan was put into action. In the meantime, the spare part had arrived in Nuuk, writes Air Greenland to Sermitsiaq.

Ice and storms delayed the repair

On January 15, it was possible to fly the spare part to Kulusuk, but ice conditions prevented further transport to Tasiilaq.

– On January 15, it was possible to fly from Nuuk to Kulusuk, and we were in close dialogue with a boat operator to sail the part from there to Tasiilaq. However, this could not be done due to the ice conditions.

Later that day, the spare part was flown in by a SAR helicopter. However, it turned out that the helicopter was still malfunctioning, and additional parts and a mechanic were needed.

The weather prevented another attempt on January 17. It was not until January 20 that the SAR helicopter was able to fly from Kangerlussuaq to Tasiilaq with a mechanic and spare parts. The helicopter was reported ready the same day, but the next day a storm again halted the flights.

It was not until January 27 that the planned flight between Nuuk and Kulusuk could be carried out.

– We expect that all affected travelers, who have had to show great patience, will be able to continue their journey today and tomorrow, Wednesday, January 28, writes Air Greenland to Sermitsiaq.

- Why are we coming? not first?

The trip cost Thomas and his wife 39,768 kroner including hotel accommodation in Nuuk via Greenland Travel – a trip they had been saving up for a long time.

– We, who save money for many months and spend a lot of money on flexible tickets – why don't we get in the first row? Air Greenland doesn't care at all. I don't know why it's like that, says Thomas.

Air Greenland explains that passengers are rebooked based on their ticket class, and that there is a priority list depending on which ticket type you have.

The stranded travelers have been staying at Tuukkaq Apartments in Qinngorput and have become close to each other. When the first flight to Kulusuk since January 10 took off yesterday, Tuesday, Thomas' friend was among the passengers.

– One of our friends texts and says there are still four empty chairs. Why? asks Thomas.

Air Greenland explains:

– The machine today was fully booked, but there were several no-shows, and therefore there have been available seats.

Why not extra flights?

After 17 days without flights between Nuuk and Kulusuk, traffic has now resumed. Thomas wonders why there are no extra flights on Tuesdays, when there is finally good flying weather, and after such a long period of cancellations.

– We often feel that we are being given lower priority over there, he says.

According to Air Greenland, however, this has not been possible.

– We have a fixed traffic schedule where our aircraft are allocated. Today we fly a full passenger schedule including cargo. If we added additional Dash flights, we would not be able to fly passengers by helicopter, as it also flies a full schedule, the company writes.

Ready to come home

After more than two weeks of waiting, Thomas is ready to return home. The first flight for Wednesday has already taken off, and he is on the next one.

He looks back on his stay in Nuuk as surreal.

– There was a Trump thing going on. There was a blackout in Nuuk. Everything was just completely unrealistic, he says.

Despite the frustrations, the stranded have tried to make the best of the situation.

– The highlight of the day has often been figuring out where to eat. In a way, we saved a little money in January with our meal vouchers, says Thomas as he packs his suitcase.