STOLport

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) defines STOLports as "unique airports designed to serve airplanes that have exceptional short-field performance capabilities.

They were intended to improve transportation systems and shorten travel times to areas that were considered difficult to reach by other means.

Still the short runway airports (including at the capital Nuuk) can't accept flights from distant places like Denmark or the United Kingdom.

For this reason there are plans to extend runways to 1,200 m (3,900 ft) or in some cases to build new airports, and to close some combined with road improvements.

Several attempts were undertaken at the late 1960s and early 1970s to create STOLports in the United States for the New York City and Los Angeles, California areas; however, most are not operational or no longer in existence at the present time.

The first United States STOLport for commercial operation was commissioned August 5, 1968, at La Guardia Airport and was available for visual flight rules (VFR) use only.

[11] The first officially designated STOLport in the United States opened on October 17, 1971, at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

Another privately owned STOL airfield was the Clear Lake City STOLport located in the Houston, Texas area, near the Johnson Space Center.

[17] Rocky Mountain Airways was the worldwide launch customer of the de Havilland Canada Dash 7 four engine turboprop STOL aircraft.

[citation needed] Norwegian Widerøe are one of the biggest STOLport operators in Europe as they have a fleet of over 40 Bombardier aircraft they mostly use on short runways in Northern and Western Norway.

According to the February 1976 edition of the OAG, the airline was operating 22 round trip flights every weekday between Clear Lake City and Houston Intercontinental in a passenger shuttle service.

[20] SKS Airways from Malaysia launched its commercial operation in January 2022 by focusing on STOLports situated on domestic holiday islands.

Its initial operation will be traveling back and forth using a Twin Otter type aircraft from either Subang or Senai airport to the islands of Pangkor, Redang and Tioman.

In the long run, they are planning to expand their network to major cities in Malaysia and other locations in Southeast Asia and Southern China.