Last year was an exceptional year for aviation, the first full year with Nuuk at the center of air traffic in Greenland.
It was also an exceptionally challenging year for Air Greenland. On Monday morning it was time to take stock and look ahead at the company's general meeting.
“As we look into 2026, we do so with both humility and cautious optimism,” said Chairman of the Board Malik Hegelund Olsen.
– We expect more stable operations, improved financial results and better utilization of the capacity we already have, and adaptation to a new structure with the openings of the new airports in Qaqortoq and Ilulissat, as well as investment in an A320neo, Unaaq, which will fly to Ilulissat directly from Copenhagen in 2027.
Last year, air traffic was plagued by bad weather in combination with challenges for Nuuk Airport, and much indicated a year of loss along the way.
The weather improved in the second half of the year, and it ended with a small profit of 3.3 million kroner.
– We got off to a bad start with the first set, but we came back and won the next one, said CEO Jacob Nitter Sørensen, using a metaphor from badminton, to Chairman of the Greenlandic Government Jens-Frederik Nielsen (D).
New woman on the board
Jens-Frederik Nielsen participated as political leader for the self-government's ownership of Air Greenland and appointed a new member of the board.
The new member is Najaaraq Christiansen, who is CFO of Ini A/S and holds a Master of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Science in Economics. She was unable to attend the general meeting herself.
Najaaraq Christiansen replaces Bodil Marie Damgaard, who is stepping down after ten years on the board. She was chairwoman 2020-2024 and received many kind words along the way, both from Air Greenland and the political side.
“Thank you for your efforts and your persistent focus on the company's development, employees and social responsibility,” said Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
Jens-Frederik Nielsen also emphasized Air Greenland's importance for transport in remote areas, where the helicopter is a lifeline.
Although it ended in profit, the small profit is not a satisfactory result for Air Greenland. The expectation for 2025 was originally 65-75 million.
According to the CEO, Air Greenland would like to have an annual profit of 80-100 million in order to continue investments and pay off the debt, which has increased significantly with the fleet renewals in recent years.
The expectation for the group profit for 2026 is 60-70 million.
