International airport opens in Ilulissat, Greenland — Fortune

An international airport with a new runway designed for large passenger aircraft has opened in the Greenlandic city of Ilulissat. As Fortune reports, the project is intended to promote tourism and diversify the island’s economy, which still largely depends on fishing.

The first international flight from Copenhagen to Ilulissat took place on Thursday. An Airbus A330neo operated by the state-owned airline Air Greenland carried 169 passengers, including Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen. He called the airport one of the largest investments in the island’s history and linked economic development to Greenland’s aspiration for future independence from Denmark.

Direct flights to the city of icebergs

Ilulissat, known as the city of icebergs, is located on Greenland’s west coast and has about 5,000 residents. It is the island’s third-largest city and one of its most popular tourist destinations. It is situated more than 550 kilometers north of the capital, Nuuk, and has no road connection to other major cities.

Previously, travelers could reach Ilulissat by cruise ship, on a small aircraft from Iceland, or via other Greenlandic aviation hubs with a transfer to a smaller aircraft. The new terminal covers 5,000 square meters, while the new runway is 2,200 meters long.

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Air Greenland plans to operate up to six flights per week between Copenhagen and Ilulissat at the peak of the next summer season. Icelandair also plans to operate flights using large aircraft from its hub airport in Keflavik. Greenland Airports expects to attract airlines from the United States and continental Europe to Ilulissat.

Tourism is growing more slowly than expected

The number of international visitors to Greenland has increased by at least 65% since 2018 and nearly reached 150,000 in 2024. At the same time, the anticipated tourism boom has not yet materialized: that year, tourism accounted for less than 5% of the territory’s gross domestic product, while hotel and other infrastructure remain limited.

Some local residents have also expressed concern about the possible impact of mass tourism on Ilulissat’s fragile nature, population, and infrastructure. Former regional mayor Palle Jerimiassen noted that tourists could bring new revenue to the city, but their numbers need to be controlled.