Mittarfeqarfiit is the Greenlandic name for its territorial Airport Authority. Greenland is under autonomous home rule from Denmark, similar to the home rule in Nunavut, Canada. It's named after "mittarfik", the Greenlandic word for "airport."

This authority has some unique advantages, in that:

• It has navigational control over a large slice of the Arctic. All flights between Scandinavia and western North America pass over its territory.
• It inherits many large airstrips built by the United States during World War II The United States buiilt thirteen airstrips in Greenland, designated Bluie West 1 through 8 for West Greenland, Bluie East 1 through 5 for East Greenland. . Mittarfequarfiit has wisely chosen to keep these airstrips operational, to keep Greenland connected to the rest of the world.
• It has an active colonial patron. Denmark maintains regular flights to Greenland from Copenhagen, and is itself interested in keeping the airstrip connections within Greenland open.

This authority also has some unique responsibilities. There are no roads between towns in Greenland; all transport is by air or sea. And the sea is frozen for much of Greenland much of the year. Mittarfeqarfiit therefore controls all travel to some points in Greenland at times.

Mittarfeqarfiit and Colonialism

Whatever disadvantages colonialism may possess, it does at least maintain an interest by the mother country in its colony. Sometimes, the colony gets advantage from such an interest. Thus far, Denmark and Greenland both perceive an advantage in maintaining the current colonial relationship.

• Denmark gets to express its sovereignty over a large strategic part of the Earth, which the United States is especially interested in. The United States Air Force still maintains a presence at Thule Air Force Base in northern Greenland by international agreement.
• Greenland gets money to help maintain its airports and its standard of living.

Denmark relies on Mittarfeqarfiit to maintain active links between Greenland and the mother country. Several ports in West Greenland are actually ice-free year round, thanks to an offshoot of the Gulf Stream Current, so there are active shipping channels there. But much freight and almost all travellers arrive in Greenland by airline from Copenhagen.

Greenland is currently under "home rule". Which is to say, the territory can govern its own affairs, and expect heavy subsidies from Denmark, but in return must accept Danish and allied military at strategic places. Aside from the United States military in Qaanaaq / Thule, Denmark maintains an air force presence at Kangerlussuaq / Sondre Stromfjord, and a naval presence at Gronnedal near Ivittutut in West Greenland. There are those within Greenland who'd rather not have these limitations, but they're forced to admit they're not quite ready to go it alone in the world. Their plans for self-sufficiency rely upon integrating Greenland with the world economy through business and tourism. Greenland can uniquely claim to be centrally located to all Northern Hemisphere businesses, and convenient to all that hemisphere's tourists. But that convenience, in turn, hinges upon Mittarfeqarfiit.

Mittarfeqarfiit is an arm of the Greenland Home Rule, and exploits Greenland's colonial advantages to the fulllest extent possible. Greenland's airports are actively maintained, and are widely acknowledged as the best in the North Atlantic. Which is to say, they beat Iceland.

Mittarfeqarfiit Operations

Mittarfeqarfiit maintains the following airports, noted from west to east. (All names Greenlandic unless otherwise stated; Danish names in italics). Data from the Greenland Atlas 2nd edition, 1st printing, 1993.

• Pituffik (Thule Air Force Base, near Qaanaaq/Thule)
• Ilulissat (Jacobshavn)
• Kangerlussuaq (Sondre Stromsfjord, or Sondrestrom Air Force Base)
• Nuuk (Godthaab)
• Narsarsuaq (near Julianehab)
• Kulusuk (Kap Dan, near Ammassalik)
• Nerlerit Inaat (Constable Pynt, near Ittoqqortoormiit / Scoresbysund)

The airports at Kangerlussuaq, Narsarsuaq, and Kulusuq have tax-free shops. Data from Mittarfeqarfiit advertisements, 1999. These three airports see the most traffic. Kangerlussuaq is centrally located to the inhabited parts of Greenland; Narsarsuaq and Kulusuq handle all incoming traffic from Europe.

Mittarfeqarfiit has a mission to support all public aviation within Greenland. Despite an abundance of airstrips, not all parts of Greenland are conveniently located near airports. Therefore, Mittarfeqarfiit also operates heliports. Helicopters provide connecting flights to upwards of 50 destinations within Greenland - virtually every habitable point. Sikorsky helicopters do long hauls up the west coast; Bell helicopters do shorter hops from points where airplanes land. Data from Gronlandsfly route maps, 1999.

Mittarfeqarfiit works closely with the few airlines which are willing to fly to Greenland. These are:

• SAS (Scandinavian Airline Service), which operates every flight from Denmark, several times a day.
• First Air, which operates one flight per week from Canada.
• Gronlandsfly (or Greenlandair), which co-operates flights with both of the above, just to get its name on the flight.

Mittarfeqarfiit operations depend closely on operations from Denmark. All flights from Denmark enter Greenland by way of two airports: Kulusuk and Narsarquaq. At these places and at Nuuk and Kangerlussuaq, they meet connecting flights. If the flights from Denmark to Greenland are grounded, all flights within Greeenland are grounded also, because there's usually no point.

Iceland is a secondary source of traffic into Greenland. Flights from Iceland come into Kulusuk, Narsarsuaq, and Nerlerat Inaat. At times, the latter destination has been only accessible from Iceland; travelers there from within Greenland had to fly to Iceland first. However, as of 1999, Gronlandsfly was advertising service there from Kangerlussuaq.

Only one flight per week comes in to Greenland from a place other than Iceland or Denmark. That place is Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada, the only link from Greenland to all of Canada and North America. Traffic from there goes into Kangerlussuaq, and thence to Pituffik. The traffic on that link is not heavy; the planes mostly carry freight. As of summer 2001, the link was in danger of being cancelled.

Mittarfeqarfiit, like the rest of Greenland, is effectively trilingual. Airport signs and documents are provided in Danish, Greenlandic, and English.

Mittarfeqarfiit airports which have external travel have customs check areas, but these are typically used only for flights leaving to points other than Denmark - not incoming flights.