Kangerlussuaq/Søndre Stromfjord Airport (SFJ/BGSF) | closed / former military, former air force base

Greenland / Sisimiut / Kangerlussuaq /
 airport, closed / former military, former air force base
Built by the US Army Air Corps in 1941 following the fall of Denmark and the subsequent assumption of Greenland's defense by the United States, the present-day Kangerlussuaq Airport was originally codenamed as Bluie West-8 Airfield when it began operations in early 1942. Expanded several times during the war to accommodate long-range Anti-Submarine Patrol aircraft, the airfield was largely idled following the war and returned to the ownership of Denmark.

Ceded back to the United States in 1951 for expansion into a major Cold War US Air Force Base, the facility was renamed as Sondrestrom Air Base and began operations in April of 1951. Seeing heavy use as a logistical hub for the construction of both Thule Air Force Base to the North as well as several Greenland-based DEW Line radar sites, the airfield saw decreasing military use aside from supporting aerial tankers and the yearly resupply of DEW Line sites.

Due in large part to its location and long runway, Sonderstrom Air Base became a major fueling stopover point for early piston-engined civilian airliners flying between Europe and the United States, with Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) being the heaviest user of the airfield. As longer-range jets began to replace propliners in civilian air transport the airfield once again saw decreasing use in the 1960's, but continued to support USAF and NATO operations through the end of the Cold War. Officially closing as a USAF Air Base in September of 1992, the airfield was returned to the ownership of the Qeqqata Municipality of Greenland, who renamed the facility as Kangerlussuaq Airport.

As the only airport in Greenland capable of supporting widebody civilian jet aircraft, Kangerlussuaq became the de-facto international air gateway for all of Greenland, and is now a hub for Air Greenland's domestic and international operations. The airfield continues to support both military and scientific operations occurring on Greenland's massive Ice Cap, and also hosts both scheduled and charter passenger and freight services.

As of 2013, Kangerlussuaq is scheduled for drawdown and possible closure as part of an effort to increase airport capacity at both Nuuk and Qaqortoq.

Airlines & Destinations:
Air Greenland: Aasiaat, Copenhagen, Ilulissat, Maniitsoq, Narsarsuaq, Nerlerit Inaat, Nuuk, Sisimiut, Tenerife (Seasonal)

Runway Info:
10/28 - Asphalt Surface, 9,219ft/2,810m

www.mit.gl/sw/frontend/show.asp?parent=370972&menu_pare...
flightaware.com/live/airport/BGSF
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sondrestrom_Air_Base
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangerlussuaq_Airport
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   67°0'43"N   50°43'30"W

Comments

  • Hi there, my father (RIP) was professionally engaged for several months (about 6-10) in Søndre Strømfjord in 1958 when I was at the age of five. I don't know about his job there, but regarding his normal job as an accountant here in southern Denmark, he probably did something like the same up there in northern Denmark (Greenland). Anyway, he shot a lot of photos (hundreds). I will try to find some good ones to put forward into a site like this one. Both of my parents have passed away years ago; the photos are stored somewhere at my sister's whereabouts which are rather messy, so ... but if you just be patient, maybe I can search for them and do something about it before too long ... the photos are both positives and negatives; they have to be scanned etc ... please, have patience. Best regards from flemming@mico.dk
This article was last modified 10 years ago