Greenland completes hat-trick as Ilulissat Airport opens as third international gateway

The Danish Transport Authority has approved the opening of a new international airport in Ilulissat, completing Greenland’s airport expansion programme.

The inaugural international flight from Copenhagen, operated by Air Greenland, touched down at Ilulissat International Airport on Thursday 29 October. The aircraft was an Airbus A330neo, marking the start of a new era for Greenland’s tourism and aviation sector. Operations and opening hours at the airport are now expected to ramp up gradually, with the aim of full operations by the summer season of 2027.

“Hundreds of people have worked hard to ensure that we can now complete a historic expansion of Greenland’s infrastructure,” said Jens Lauridsen, CEO of Greenland Airports.

The airport’s opening comes as Lauridsen is due to step down as CEO at the end of October.

Why the opening of Ilulissat matters

Known as the City of Icebergs, Ilulissat sits on Greenland’s west coast, more than 550km north of the capital, Nuuk. It is Greenland’s third-largest city and is the gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ilulissat Icefjord.

Until now, access has been tricky. International travellers had to arrive by cruise ship or connect through one of Greenland’s other air transport hubs. The old airport relied on a short 854m runway, which limited the types of aircraft that could land there.

The new airport changes that. Lauridsen said it would “fundamentally change how the country is connected and how Greenland is connected to the outside world.” For local residents and businesses, it promises shorter journeys, better connections and more efficient cargo operations. It also fits the island government’s efforts to grow tourism and diversify an economy that relies heavily on fishing.

Tourism bodies have warned that the town now needs to be ready for the extra visitors. Air Greenland plans to use a Jettime-operated Boeing 737-800 for its winter service to the airport, and from spring 2027 it will operate a narrowbody A320neo on the route.

The third and final piece in Greenland Airport’s expansion puzzle

Ilulissat follows the opening of Qaqortoq in April this year and Nuuk serving the capital in November 2024. Together, the three airports form the backbone of Greenland’s aviation infrastructure, which Lauridsen described as a “long-term investment.”

Notably, Danish authorities approved security at Ilulissat without restrictions. However, Lauridsen cautioned that the work is far from over. “The work doesn’t stop because we have opened the doors,” he said, pointing to efforts to train staff, optimise resources and strengthen cross-functional cooperation to ensure well-functioning operations and a good passenger experience.

With opportunity comes risk

The new airport brings risks as well as opportunities. Earlier this year, Aerospace Global News reported that Air Greenland has struggled with moving its main hub from Kangerlussuaq to the capital Nuuk. Adapting to the new operating environment proved costly and the airline posted a much steeper loss for the first half of 2025.

Severe weather and infrastructure teething problems also added to the airline’s difficulties. Delays in commissioning of the new airport, icy runway conditions, baggage and fuelling issues and shortages of spare parts led to 59 cancellations of jet aircraft flights in the first half of 2025.

That experience gives added weight to Lauridsen’s warning that work doesn’t stop just because the doors have now opened.

Ilulissat will test whether the lessons from Nuuk have been learned, particularly as operations ramp up through the winter, when Greenland’s weather is at its harshest. The phased opening and use of a leased Boeing 737-800 on Air Greenland’s route this winter suggest a cautious approach and the phased opening hints at efforts to avoid the growing pains seen in the capital.