Greenland is about to open up to adventure-seeking visitors. How many tourists will come is yet to be seen, but the three new airports will bring profound change.
Greenland’s capital is a tiny city with big plans. Large aircraft will soon be able to touch down here after the new Nuuk International Airport officially opens on 28 November. There’ll be direct flights from Copenhagen, and, by June, twice weekly connections from New York. It’s the first of three airport projects – costing more than $800m (£615m) – intended to fling this Arctic territory wide open to travellers.
Spanning more than two million square kilometres, the world’s largest island exists on a scale so vast it’s hard to conceive. Only 11 countries are bigger – and it surpasses both Texas and Alaska in size – yet its population numbers fewer than 57,000. At its frozen heart is an ice sheet that covers 80% of its land mass.
When I visited in August from Copenhagen, the ground crunched beneath my boots as I made my way over rocky glacial moraine onto the edge of this endless icy expanse that stretched beyond the misty horizon. Both mighty and magical, it was a humbling reminder of the awesomeness of nature.
Hours earlier, I’d touched down at Kangerlussuag Airport. Up until now, the remote cluster of prefabricated buildings in Greenland’s desolate, wild west has been the country’s main entry point, and most international visitors will have landed here. Built during World War Two, the former American airbase is one of the country’s few airstrips long enough for jet planes. Greenland’s mountainous and ice-bound topography means there are no roads between settlements; instead, there’s a network of small airstrips and heliports. From Kangerlussuaq, visitors have had to transit to their onward destination in small propeller aircraft, just as I did to Nuuk.
Nuuk’s new international airport means that getting to Greenland will become simpler, faster and cheaper. The city sits roughly four hours from the US and four hours from Europe. “We’re placed right in the middle. So there’s great opportunities to grow tourism from both sides,” said Jens Lauridsen, CEO of Greenland Airports. “We’re seeing an increasing interest from North American tourists at the moment.”
Another transatlantic airport will open in Ilulissat in 2026, the country’s most popular destination and a launchpad for exploring the towering icebergs of Disko Bay and the Unesco-recognised Icefjord. This will be followed that same year by a brand-new regional airport in Qaqortoq, the largest settlement in the south and arguably Greenland’s most picture-perfect town, where pink, blue and green houses tumble from the steep hillside down to the harbour.
Across Europe, several destinations have been pushing back against tourism. But Greenland stands out because it is actively seeking more visitors. The nation is hoping to bolster its economy, which relies largely on fishing, by diversifying into tourism. Greenland’s attractions are many, from spectacular raw nature to the unique culture of the Inuit. In the summer, there’s whale-watching and splendid hiking, while dark winters bring dog sledding and the spellbinding Northern Lights.
How many tourists will come is unknown. But according to Lauridsen, between April and August this year, the inbound seat capacity to Greenland was 55,000; by next summer, that will jump to 105,000 for the same period. Air Greenland will operate daily flights between Nuuk and Copenhagen in planes carrying 300-plus passengers. Then in June, SAS will also begin flying from the Danish capital, and United will launch direct flights from New York. “Many people have been to London, Paris and Rome. They’re looking for more experiences and looking for outdoors, particularly post-Covid,” said United’s vice president, Patrick Quayle. “We’re planning on starting small just because there has never been this type of service.”
