Greenland opens international airport in Ilulissat

A new international airport opened Thursday in Ilulissat, Greenland's third largest town, as the Arctic island seeks stronger links with the rest of the world.

Operator Greenland Airports said the airport has a 2,200-metre runway able to accommodate larger aircraft.

Ilulissat is the last of three new airports in the Danish autonomous territory, after one in the capital Nuuk opened in November 2024 and another in Qaqortoq opened in April 2026.

Greenland Airports chief executive Jens Lauridsen called the opening a historic milestone for Ilulissat, North Greenland and all of Greenland. He said the three airports change how Greenland is connected internally and internationally.

The airport infrastructure improvements, partly funded by Denmark, are intended to support the local economy and tourism.

Ilulissat is on Greenland's west coast, about 300 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, next to Disko Bay. Its ice fjord has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2004.