Greenland is hoping to boost tourism with the Arctic's first international airport

About two-thirds of Greenland lies above the Arctic Circle, so while it remains a popular tourist destination for cold-weather lovers, getting there has never been easy. Until now.

The territory unveiled a renovated airport in November that will serve as the first major international airport in the Arctic. Greenlanders hope this encourages more people to choose the island for their travel itineraries.

Nuuk International Airport, located in Greenland's capital city of the same name, now has a runway that is 7,200 feet long, along with a new terminal. This allows major airlines and large airplanes to fly directly into the heart of the territory in a way that they previously could not. While the Danish island relies largely on the cruise industry to bring in tourists, officials say the new airport will pave the way for people to reach Greenland from the skies.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

How will this new airport make traveling to Greenland easier?

The heart of the wintery territory will now be more accessible. Nuuk is Greenland's major tourism hub and largest city, but getting there has been challenging because the territory never had a true international airport. Previously, international tourists "had to fly into Kangerlussuaq, an old U.S. air base located in the center of the west coast, and then transfer to a smaller plane for any onward travel," said Condé Nast Traveler. Getting from that air base to other locations in Greenland is very difficult, as the island has only "56 miles of paved roads across its entire 830,000 square miles and no drivable routes exist at all between settlements and towns."

The new Nuuk International Airport will "allow larger planes to connect the Arctic territory with the rest of the world," said CNN, with the airport's longer runway being able to accommodate major commercial jets. This will allow not only more international travel but easier travel between eight destinations across Greenland. The airport "will serve as the base for Air Greenland, which will operate an Airbus A330neo plane on a route to Copenhagen, Denmark." Other airlines are already taking notice: United Airlines will begin offering a direct flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Nuuk starting in 2025.

How much of a tourism boost will Greenland see?

The number of tourists entering the territory will likely increase significantly. Passenger air traffic is "expected to double to over 100,000 from more than 50,000 annually in the first year," Greenland Airports CEO said to Danish outlet Finans, per Bloomberg. This will also mark a massive boost for travel into Nuuk. In 2023, only 5,000 people flew into the city's existing domestic airport, according to Greenland's tourism board. Two more airports are slated to open in Greenland in 2026, paving the way for more tourism.

By "providing a direct link to this destination that has been historically harder to reach via air travel, we believe Greenland has the potential to become a top-trending destination for those looking to travel off-the-beaten path," a United spokesperson said to Newsweek. This will likely "be a game-changer for Greenland's tourism sector, as it sits just four hours by air from both Europe and North America," said Simple Flying. And beyond people, the expanded airport also includes "cargo facilities designed to streamline the export of Greenland's seafood," which will help drive export revenue for the territory.