Greenland has long been one of the planet’s most mysterious and remote destinations, but access to the world’s largest island has expanded over the last couple of years.
The country opened a brand-new airport near the capital of Nuuk in 2024 and Qaqortoq Airport in April this year, and now, another new airport has just launched in the western region of Ilulissat. In short, it’s now easier than ever to see Greenland’s razor-sharp peaks, expansive ice sheets and rugged Arctic tundra.
Ilulissat Airport, which we first reported on back in 2024, welcomed its first direct flight from Copenhagen on Thursday October 29.
According to The Independent, the 2,200m runway has replaced the previous 845-metre-long one, which means this region is now able to welcome international flights and bigger planes, as opposed to just domestic services.
The opening of Ilulissat Airport means increased access to the western region dubbed the ‘City of Icebergs’. This includes the UNESCO-listed Ilulissat Icefjord, a protected site thanks to its beauty and glaciological significance since 2004, which is located 250km north of the Arctic Circle. The region is also home to Disko Bay, known for its huge icebergs and whales.
From November, Danish operator Jettime will run one weekly flight, with extra flights expected to be run during certain seasons. Air Greenland, which operated the inaugural journey on Thursday, plans to run six direct flights from Copenhagen per week by next summer.
That’s on top of the offering from Icelandair, which will connect Ilulissat with Keflavík during the summer months with three flights per week, from June 3 to October 16.
What’s an icefjord?
An icefjord, like a regular old fjord (those sweeping, water-filled valleys found in western Norway and New Zealand’s South Island), are formed in U-shaped valleys which have been left behind by glaciers. Over thousands of years, rising sea levels flood the valleys.
Ilulissat Icefjord is particularly glaciologically significant because of the speed at which the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier, which has carved the fjord, moves.
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