Greenland is set to open a new international airport next month, aiming to entice more adventure tourists and visitors to the ice-capped territory by making it more accessible.
From 28 November, visitors to Greenland’s capital Nuuk will be able to get a direct flight to the city for the very first time, via jetplane from Copenhagen, Denmark.
The new airport marks the beginning of a series of openings, with two other airports in Ilulissat and Qaqortoq, in South Greenland, opening by 2026 which will allow visitors to reach either side of the country within an hour and a half.
Routes have already been scheduled from Nuuk to Copenhagen this winter, with five weekly flights available, which will increase to six during the holiday season and peaking at eight in the summer.
Visit Greenland, the territory’s tourist board says the new airports will be more frequent and cost-effective than its current routes, as well as making the country increasingly accessible for adventure tourists and explorers to their dramatic natural landscapes.
Currently, anyone from Europe wishing to make it to Nuuk must first fly to the former military airport of Kangerlussuaq from Copenhagen, and then change planes for a domestic transfer, which costs time and money and is not wholly convenient for people living in other countries outside of Denmark.
Those travelling from North America or the UK are advised to do something similar, such as flying to Iceland and then changing to a flight to Nuuk.
Construction of the new runway at Nuuk started in 2020, measuring lengths of 2,200 metres that will allow for direct flights from North America and Europe to land in the future.
Nuuk’s airport has also been built with two taxiways, a tower, and a terminal area for passengers along with other service buildings.
The project was initially scheduled to be completed in 2023, but due to setbacks from the Covid-19 pandemic, Greenland Airports had to delay the opening to 2024.
Greenland Airports also announced in 2021 that they would be partnering with Spanish company Comsa who will supply technical equipment for the airports at Nuuk and Ilulissat.
The equipment allows for safer landing opportunities, especially in more difficult weather conditions, with the airport group hoping that this will reduce cancellations.
US-based United Airlines also announced last week that they would be offering direct flights to Greenland from New York in the summer months, the first airline to ever do so.
Both Greenland Airports and Visit Greenland say they hope that the new airports, along with a collaborative effort to promote the unsung destination of picturesque volcanic scenery, fjords, valleys, and basalt mountains, will open Greenland up to the world.
However, officials are also wary of getting the right balance between tourism growth and the wellbeing of their established communities on the island.
Hjörtur Smárason, the director of Visit Greenland, said in 2021 that “Greenland had so many unique experiences to offer tourists, and if we want more of them, then the message and knowledge must be spread even more than it is today.
“At the same time, we want to grow responsibly and with the right tourists, so we must also find the partners who can help with just that.”
For some residents, the new airports also serve as an exciting opportunity to be further connected to other countries.
“We have been shut from the whole world, and now we’re going to open to the world,” one young Nuuk resident told BBC News. “It’s so exciting that we’re going to have the opportunity to travel from here to another country.”
Greenland, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark that lies between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, does not see as many tourists as some of its European counterparts.
In 2019, Greenland has over 100,000 visit their icy landscape, with 46,000 of these coming from cruises.
Jens Laurisden, the CEO of Greenland Airports said in October, ahead of the opening, that the airport will improve the connection for both tourists and business opportunities.
“This is a transformative project that positions Greenland as a destination in its own right.
“We are not just opening a new airport, we are opening Greenland to the world, creating opportunities for growth and development in every sector.”
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