Greenland opens new international airport to lure tourists as it eyes future independence

ILULISSAT, Greenland, Nov 2, (AP): Greenland has opened a new international airport, seeking to lure visitors from around the world as the Arctic island looks toward eventual independence from Denmark. Thursday's inaugural international flight between Copenhagen, Denmark, and Ilulissat, Greenland, was part of the island government's efforts to grow its tourism industry to boost and diversify an economy still reliant on fishing.

Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen described the new airport as "one of the biggest investments” in the island’s history. Nielsen was one of 169 passengers on Thursday's 4.5-hour flight on an Airbus A330neo. An Associated Press journalist also took the flight, operated by government-owned Air Greenland, as part of a trip organized by tourism agency Visit Greenland, for this story.

"If Greenland wants to be independent, we need to have a strong foundation, both economically and in terms of industry and business,” Nielsen told the AP before the plane departed. The strategic island, home to roughly 56,000 people, has been a focus of US President Donald Trump since his first term, when he initially expressed his desire to acquire Greenland.

His repeated threats to seize the territory from Denmark, a NATO ally, during his second term prompted months of tensions with other NATO allies. In September, Trump signed an agreement with the leaders of Denmark and Greenland to strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic. "There’s no doubt that it has been a shadow over the entire Kingdom of Denmark, but especially Greenland,” said Danish Finance Minister Peter Hummelgaard, who also took the inaugural flight.

"The opening of this new international airport marks, I think, hope and optimism.” Ilulissat, known as the "City of Icebergs," sits along the island's western coast and is home to some 5,000 people. Greenland's third-largest city is also one of the island's most-visited destinations. More than 550 kilometers (342 miles) north of the capital, Nuuk, its tourism offerings range from sled dog tours to icefjord cruises in picturesque Disko Bay, known for its towering icebergs.

Previously, travelers reaching Ilulissat had to arrive by cruise ship, take a small plane from Iceland or fly to one of Greenland’s international hubs and connect to smaller aircraft. There are no road connections from other big towns. For decades, Greenland’s main international aviation gateways were former US military air bases, distant echoes of World War II, in Kangerlussuaq and Narsarsuaq.

Locals and international visitors had to land there before catching smaller aircraft to the island's major towns, including Ilulissat and Nuuk. That changed in late 2024, when an international airport opened in Nuuk. United Airlines last year began a new seasonal route between Nuuk and Newark, New Jersey. The inaugural flight was the first direct from the US to Greenland by an American airline.