Denmark to transfer key defense tasks to Air Greenland

Oslo: Negotiations are underway between Danish Defense Ministry and Air Greenland about leasing aircraft to better carry out surveillance tasks in the region, said a statement released on Saturday by the ministry.

The move is part of a broader policy to involve Greenlandic companies in carrying out state functions, said Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen during a joint press conference in Nuuk with Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt held Saturday afternoon.

Under the planned agreement, Air Greenland would participate in surveillance missions in Greenlandic airspace. The shift aligns with the terms of the first-part agreement on the Arctic and North Atlantic, signed by the involved parties and the Greenland government, which calls for the gradual phasing out of Challenger aircraft and the transfer of surveillance and rescue tasks in the Arctic to civilian partners.

"It is crucial that the cooperation should take place with an actor that has experience with flying under the special conditions that apply in Greenland," the statement said.

It is expected that the aircraft can be put into service before the end of 2027. An agreement requires prior accession of an act from the Danish Parliament's Finance Committee.