Greenland is to open a new international airport in its capital, Nuuk, in November 2024.
The island nation remains a less common destination for adventure travelers. Nevertheless, tourism is a “significant pillar of the country’s economy”, according to Greenland’s official website.
An international airport will open in Nuuk on November 28, 2024, the first of three being planned. Two others will start operating by the end of 2026 in Ilulissat and Qaqortoq, located in South Greenland.
Adding new airlines and additional flights to Greenland will be possible, according to the official website. The updated flight schedule “will inevitably alter the way of traveling to and around Greenland, reducing costs and logistics”.
The new international airport will allow five morning domestic flights from Nuuk to Narsarsuaq, Paamiut, Maniitsoq, Sisimiut, Ilulissat and Kulusuk, with return flights in the afternoon. Initially the new airport will be operated by existing air carriers Air Greenland and Icelandair.
For the first time, direct flights will connect Nuuk and Copenhagen, Denmark. There will be five flights per week from Nuuk to Copenhagen in Winter 2024, increasing to six during the holiday season and reaching eight by Summer 2025. Flights from Copenhagen leave at 08:20 local time and reach Nuuk at 10:10 local time. Flights from Nuuk will take off at 07:30 local time and arrive in Copenhagen at 15:30 local time.
In addition, there will also be one weekly flight from Nuuk to Billund, Denmark, operating seasonally. It will leave Billund at 08:45 local time and arrive in Nuuk at 10:30 local time. The flight back from Nuuk departs at 12:30 local time and arrives in Billund at 19:45 local time.
In the summer of 2025, Air Greenland is due to start flying from Aalborg, Denmark, to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, with a stop in Copenhagen for the first time. This change means that Aalborg passengers no longer will need to change aircraft when going to or from Greenland via Copenhagen. After November 2024, the route is likely to change from Kangerlussuaq to Nuuk.
To the east, there will be two weekly flights from Nuuk to Keflavik, Iceland. Similarly, from March–October 2025, there will be one weekly flight from Nuuk to Iqaluit, Canada, improving western connections.
These developments will ensure “more frequent, cost-effective travel options”, making Greenland an “increasingly accessible destination for adventurers and explorers,” according to the country’s official website.