Denmark has announced plans to establish a reconciliation fund to provide financial compensation to Greenlandic women affected by a forced contraception program that spanned decades. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen revealed the government's intention to create the fund ahead of her visit to Greenland this week, where she will participate in a ceremony marking Denmark's official apology for the intrauterine device (IUD) scandal.

The reconciliation fund will offer individual financial compensation not only to women subjected to the forced IUD program but also to other Greenlanders who experienced systematic discrimination based on their ethnicity. The announcement represents a significant step in addressing historical grievances between Copenhagen and Nuuk, coming nearly two years after Denmark's initial apology for the contraceptive coercion that affected thousands of Inuit women and girls.

In a related development, the Danish national appeals board reversed a decision to separate a Greenlandic mother from her newborn daughter shortly after the fund's announcement. Ivana Nikoline Brønlund, who was separated from her daughter one hour after birth following parenting competence tests criticized as discriminatory, expressed relief at the reversal. The case had drawn attention to contemporary practices that campaigners argue continue to reflect biased treatment of Greenlandic citizens.

The forced contraception program, which ran from the 1960s until 1992, affected approximately 4,500 Inuit women and girls who were fitted with IUDs without proper consent. These recent developments highlight ongoing efforts to reconcile Denmark's colonial past with Greenland, which ceased to be a colony in 1953 but remains part of the Danish commonwealth. The reconciliation fund initiative signals the government's commitment to addressing historical injustices while improving current relations with the autonomous territory.

Finnair is gradually restoring its Airbus A321 fleet to service after an uncertified cleaning procedure forced the grounding of eight aircraft. The airline confirmed that seat covers were washed with water, a method not properly certified to ensure fire protection standards were maintained. This safety concern prompted the removal of the affected aircraft from service, leading to operational disruptions across Finnair's European network.

The situation began improving over the weekend as Finnair started installing new seat covers on the grounded aircraft. The first A321 returned to service on Sunday, operating a flight from Helsinki to Rhodes. However, seven aircraft remain out of service with no confirmed timeline for their full return. The A321s typically seat approximately 200 passengers and are crucial for Finnair's European route operations.

The grounding has resulted in significant passenger disruptions, with Finnair implementing extensive rebooking procedures. On Sunday alone, approximately 460 passengers were moved to different flights due to aircraft downgrades. The airline has prioritized high-frequency routes such as Helsinki-Stockholm and Helsinki-London, ensuring alternative options are available. In some cases, Finnair has used smaller replacement aircraft and offered incentives for volunteers to switch flights.

To manage the capacity shortfall, Finnair has wet-leased two aircraft with crews from Danish carrier DAT since Wednesday. While flight cancellations have decreased to single digits in recent days, with some days passing without any cancellations, the airline acknowledges that irregularities may continue through the coming week. Finnair is providing accommodation and compensation to affected passengers in accordance with EU air passenger rights regulations as it works to fully resolve the operational challenges.