Landing in Nuuk: Greenland’s first international airport is open to travelers from around the world

Greenland is opening a new international airport in the capital Nuuk, hoping to double the number of tourists arriving by air over the next year.

The 2.2-kilometer (1.4-mile) runway was approved late Wednesday after a series of test flights, paving the way for the airport’s official opening on Thursday, the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority said on its website.

The airport — the first international gateway to Greenland’s capital — is seen as a game changer for local tourism, allowing larger planes to land in the Arctic nation. Beginning in June 2025, United Airlines Holdings Inc. will open a direct route from Newark, NY to Nuuk, and SAS AB and Icelandair Group hf announced flights from Copenhagen and Iceland’s largest airport, Keflavik, among others. Previously, international flights landed further north, in the quiet town of Kangerlussuaq.

Passenger traffic is expected to double to more than 100,000 from more than 50,000 a year in the first year, Greenland Airport Chief Executive Officer Jens Lauridsen told Danish media outlet Finans. In 2023, just under 65,000 tourists arrived in Greenland by air, with around 5,000 of them flying through the capital’s existing small domestic airport, according to Visit Greenland.

In 2026, it is planned to open two new airports in Ilulissat and Kokortak.