Greenland Airports appoints new CEO on back of major deficit
Greenland Airports has named Jeppe Jensen as its new chief executive, turning to the head of state-owned retailer KNI to run the company through its transition from construction to operations.
Jensen has led KNI A/S since 2021. He takes up the post on 1 November, replacing Jens Lauridsen, whose departure was announced in April.
Before KNI, Jensen served as commercial director at airport operator Mittarfeqarfiit and held senior positions at telecoms company Tusass. Born in 1980 and raised in Ilulissat and Nuuk, he holds a master’s in international business from Aarhus University.
The handover follows a difficult year for the government-owned company. Greenland Airports posted a 2.7-billion-kroner ($410 million) loss for 2025, driven by write-downs of around three billion kroner on its new airports.
The company also conceded that the airports had not been built to specification. It was forced to hire 60 security staff in Nuuk rather than the 20 originally planned, a shortfall that drew sharp criticism of the outgoing management.
The loss brought sharp political criticism. Naalakkersuisut chairman Jens-Frederik Nielsen said he was dissatisfied with the results, while the opposition party Naleraq said the figures exposed serious flaws in the planning of the airport projects and demanded an explanation of what had gone wrong.
In a press release announcing the appointment, board chairman Jens Wittrup Willumsen said the appointment reflected a change in what the company needs from its leadership.
“Greenland Airports is entering a natural new phase,” he said. “Over the past years, our focus has been on developing Greenland’s new airports. In the years ahead, our priority will be to realise their full potential through safe operations, continued development and improved accessibility.”
He said the job now needed a leader with commercial experience, and pointed to Jensen’s record running large Greenlandic companies and critical infrastructure.
Jensen was born in Ilulissat, where the third and final new airport is due to open at the end of October, weeks before he starts.
“I was born and raised in Ilulissat, so it will naturally be very special to be part of the opening of the new international airport in my hometown,” he said in the release. “Throughout my career, I have been motivated by working for organisations that deliver essential services to Greenlandic society,” he said. “Aviation is fundamental to connecting people, enabling businesses to grow and ensuring cohesion across our country.”
Lauridsen was heavily criticised over the security problems in Nuuk, but Willumsen thanked him in the release.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Jens Lauridsen for his outstanding contribution to Greenland Airports,” he said.
He credited Lauridsen with both the airport program and the earlier merger of Kalaallit Airports and Mittarfeqarfiit that created Greenland Airports, work he said Jensen would now build on.
Nuuk Airport opened in 2024 and Qaqortoq followed in April 2026, with Ilulissat the last of the three to come online.
