Amid a contentious year for relations between Greenland and the United States, the autonomous Danish territory opened a new airport last week. This is the latest in a three-part aviation expansion plan that will reshape how travelers reach far-flung destinations.
Qakotok Airport (JJU), which opened on April 16, is the first major airfield in South Greenland’s fjords, which was previously only accessible by helicopter or boat. It will join Nuuk Airport (GOH), the capital of Greenland, with an extended runway and international passenger jet operations will begin in November 2024. (Previously, Nuuk was only compatible with small propeller planes and did not have proper security settings.) A third airport north of the Arctic Circle, Ilulissat Airport (JAV), is scheduled to open in October this year.
Despite these major infrastructure updates, some U.S. travelers may be wondering whether to visit in the first place. In January, President Trump escalated efforts to acquire Greenland, briefly refusing to remove military force before reversing policy. In January, Copenhagen-based tourism agency VisitDenmark responded via email to 6,000 U.S. travel advisors, pledging to continue to warmly welcome Americans.
Visit Greenland, Greenland’s tourism marketing entity, reiterated this message in an emailed statement to Afar this week. “We are in line with the general position expressed by Visit Denmark and continue to welcome guests from abroad, including from the United States,” the tourism board said.
The tourism organization said the new airport is part of Greenland’s ongoing investments in infrastructure and workforce, with a “clear focus on long-term, balanced growth rather than rapid mass tourism”.
In South Greenland, a few days after the opening of the new airport, Miki Jensen, CEO of Innovation South Greenland, the region’s economic development agency, said changes were already starting to appear there. “The biggest changes are not dramatic, but you can feel them,” Jensen said in an email interview. “Movement is increasing. More people are arriving in person. There are more conversations about opportunities. Businesses are starting to adjust their hours, services, and expectations.”
Qakotok Airport provides access to Greenland’s agricultural heartland, home to approximately 6,000 people across three towns, 11 settlements and 32 sheep farms. Approximately 80% of the country is covered by permanent ice sheets, but Southern Greenland, which is at about the same latitude as Anchorage, Oslo, and Stockholm, is much greener, especially during the summer months. The region includes the UNESCO-designated Kujataa Cultural Landscape, inhabited by Nordic and Inuit farmers for more than 1,000 years, and the Terselmiut Fjord, often referred to as the “Patagonia of Greenland” for its dramatic granite peaks.
If you are interested in visiting the area, there are several hotels in Kakortok, including Hotel Kakortok and the charming Signific Inn, which offers views of the fjord and Loch Storzoen.
Air Greenland will operate up to 17 flights a week between the capital Nuuk and the new Qakortok Airport during the peak summer season. Meanwhile, Icelandair, which connects 15 U.S. airports with Keflavik International Airport (KEF) near the Icelandic capital, plans to fly four times a week to Kakotok this summer, in addition to its year-round service to Nuuk.
Back stateside, United Airlines will return to Nuuk Airport (GOH) this June with twice-weekly 737 MAX flights from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). United Airlines said Nuuk was one of the fastest-selling new routes in its record 2025 international routes. “We continue to see strong interest in United’s Newark-Nuk route, especially as consumers seek out unique destinations off the beaten path,” Matt Stevens, United’s vice president of international network, told Afar.
When asked what U.S. travelers should understand before booking, Jensen was candid. “South Greenland is not a place created for tourism. It is first and foremost a place for people to live,” he said, noting that the region is not trying to become a mass tourist destination. “When you visit South Greenland, you step into everyday life. You meet people, not just products. You may be invited for coffee, visit a sheep farm, or even take part in small guided trips where the guides are fishermen or students. What we offer is intimacy, honesty and time.”
Ilulissat is set to open in October as Greenland’s third new airport, putting that approach to the test as air transport continues to expand. Home to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ilulissat Fjord, this western part of Greenland offers tourist infrastructure including several hotels (including Hotel Arctic, with its on-site fine dining restaurant and glass-enclosed Aurora cabin rooms, Hotel Icefjord on Disko Bay, and Hotel Vidde Folk, a 37-room hotel dating back to the ’70s), as well as vacation rentals, restaurants, and the open-air Upernavik Museum. This is the story of a community that was heavily dependent on whaling.
Jensen pointed to a longer common history, with explorer Leif Erikson setting sail from southern Greenland and reaching what is now North America 1,000 years ago. As Greenland continues to open up to the world, his advice to travelers is: “Come with curiosity, patience, and respect for how things work here.”