Greenland’s Growing Pains? New Flights Open the Island to the World

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.

While Greenland has long been connected to Copenhagen, a string of new and enhanced travel options ar