A little piece of aviation history took place last week. On Thursday, Flight Gl781 touched down in Nuuk from Copenhagen, heralding a new era for air travel to and from Greenland.
Historically remote and challenging to reach, Greenland’s pristine natural environment, famed for dramatic fjords and stunning glaciers, is becoming closer than ever. The introduction of new routes from North America and Europe from next year will accelerate the trend.
Nuuk’s revamped airport launched international operations on November 28. This marked the beginning of a series of openings for three new or overhauled airports in the next two years. Ilulissat in the west and Qaqortoq in the south will follow by late 2026, reimagining connectivity on the world’s largest island.
But how will Greenland, which is home to fewer than 60,000 people, cope with a surge of international visitors? From an infrastructure perspective, it has never been better prepared.
After a major building project that has involved drilling and blasting huge volumes of rock, the new Nuuk airport now boasts a 7,200ft runway, two taxiways, and a terminal. This allows the airfield to handle large widebody jets, such as Air Greenland’s flagship Airbus A330neo. The upgrades also include the installation of a precision instrument landing system that enables aircraft to touch down safely in low visibility conditions.
Nuuk is a new air hub for the island. This important role was previously assigned to Kangerlussuaq, a much smaller and even more remote town in the west of Greenland. That site was built during World War Two to bridge North America and Europe for the U.S. military.
Nuuk’s New Air Links
While Greenland has long been connected to Copenhagen, a string of new and enhanced travel options are on the horizon.
Starting next June, American travelers will have direct access to Nuuk from Newark, New Jersey with a twice-weekly seasonal service. United Airlines will be the only carrier to connect the U.S. directly to the city – the northernmost capital in the world.
Just two weeks later, SAS Scandinavian Airlines will start its own nonstop flights from Copenhagen to Nuuk. This represents its return to Greenland after a hiatus of more than two decades. SAS president and CEO, Anko van der Werff said the service from the Danish capital was a response to “rising demand for unique, adventurous travel experiences.”
Air Greenland is also planning seasonal services to the Danish cities of Aalborg and Billund in summer 2025.
The upgraded infrastructure is also enticing existing operators to roster larger planes. Next summer Icelandair will serve Nuuk using new-generation Boeing 737 Max jets.
Canada is also getting in on the action. From March to October 2025, there will be a resumption of the weekly link between Nuuk and Iqaluit on Baffin Island in Canada’s far north. The route – served by Air Greenland – should allow smoother connections to and from other Canadian cities.
Nuuk’s international air routes for summer 2025. Credit: greatcirclemap.com
Record-Breaking Visitor Numbers
For Greenland’s tourist agency, the new airports can’t open soon enough. Last year was its busiest to date for foreign visitors, with almost 100,000 people arriving by air.
It isn’t just planes. Last year also saw the highest number of cruise passengers — at 76,477. This was two-thirds higher than the previous annual record in 2019. The expectation is that the new airports and the enhanced connections that will follow will bring even more visitors to the island.
“While the new airports initially will be operated by existing air carriers Air Greenland and Icelandair, they also allow for opportunities for new airlines and more flights to Greenland,” according to Visit Greenland. “The new flight schedule will inevitably alter the way of traveling to and around Greenland, reducing costs and logistics.”
Speaking at a ceremony to mark the inaugural Copenhagen to Nuuk flight, Air Greenland Group CEO, Jacob Nitter Sørensen put the significance of the new development in context.
“The history of aviation is a story of innovation and progress. From the early days of helicopter flights to the Dash 7 and later the modern Dash 8, we now embrace the next chapter with the A330neo. What once took two weeks to accomplish was reduced to days and now to mere hours. This is the rhythm of advancement— and the rhythm of the future,” said Sørensen.
Greenland’s Adventure Travel Boom
Global interest in Greenland is on the rise. National Geographic recently named it as one of the 25 best places to travel in 2025. Social media is abuzz with suggested itineraries.
Air Greenland, which took delivery of its A330neo long-haul aircraft in 2022, has signaled its ambition to grow its network in the direction of the United States. Chief executive Sørensen recently suggested that “within a few year’s time, we’ll definitely see expansion toward the west.” This could place the airline in competition with United.
Greenland’s North Atlantic neighbor Iceland has benefited hugely from its position as a mid-point transatlantic hub. Greenland’s flag carrier has the theoretical potential to tap into a similar model.
However, it remains very early days given the airline operates just one jet-powered aircraft. Icelandic carriers have had decades to fine-tune their slick transit operation at Keflavík Airport, just outside the nation’s capital.
From Newark to Nuuk
For its part, United describes Nuuk as a natural next step in the recent growth of its transatlantic network. However, the airline does not underestimate the task ahead of marketing a relatively unknown destination to its customers.
“Given smaller – but growing – volumes of tourism to Greenland, we are launching service two-times weekly for a short 15-week season,” Darren Scott, United’s director of Atlantic and Hawaii Network Planning, told Skift.
“Our Leisure Sales team has also been focused on engaging with travel advisors, tour operators, and cruise lines to promote the destination. In addition, our marketing team has begun collaborating with our Greenland partners on a marketing campaign that will focus on educating our customers about all Greenland has to offer to visitors.
“We see the only air link from the U.S. to Greenland to have broad appeal from both U.S.-based tourists, VFR [visiting friends and relatives] traffic, as well as outbound demand from Greenland. The remoteness of the destination and unspoiled terrain appeal to adventure travelers that are seeking new opportunities. Operational teams across United have been involved to make this successful, but opening new international destinations is something we’re quite experienced with,” added Scott.
With two more new airports being developed in Greenland, could other destinations follow if 2025’s summer season is a success? Scott wouldn’t reveal what might follow, insisting that United was “focused on launching our service to Nuuk for now.”
A Bumpy Journey So Far
The steady opening of Greenland to more visitors has not been without issue. The process of overhauling the airports has been mired in controversy. Greenland’s government even lost its parliamentary majority in 2018 during a row over whether the Danes or the Chinese should finance it.
Denmark also revoked Nuuk Airport’s international flight authorization in August. This followed reports that it did not meet “the necessary high level of security in the security area.” These challenges have since been overcome.
The prospect of increased numbers has also sparked concern about the readiness of the local hotels and restaurants to cater to demand. Director of Visit Greenland, Anne Nivíka Grødem, recently said there was a need for an “immediate effort to expand both accommodation and dining facilities” in Ilulissat before the new airport opens in the town.
Tourism’s Positive Impact
Despite the surge in overseas arrivals, a Visit Greenland survey carried out at the start of 2024 showed people living in the territory have a positive view of tourism.
More than a third (38.5%) said they believe that tourism improves their quality of life, while 52.5% believe that the quality of life is not affected, and only 1.4% believe that tourism worsens it.
Greenland has the chance to craft a tourism model that supports economic growth while protecting local communities and natural habitats. As interest grows, balancing accessibility with authenticity and preservation will be critical to managing visitor impact.
Learn more about authenticity in travel in our new Skift Research report: How Authentic Experiences Shape the New Tourism Economy here:
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Publish date : 2024-12-06 04:11:00
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