Amid a contentious year for Greenland–U.S. relations, the self-governing territory of Denmark opened a new airport last week—the latest in a three-part aviation expansion that is reshaping how travelers can reach the remote destination.
Qaqortoq Airport (JJU), which opened on April 16, is the first major airfield in the fjords of South Greenland, a region previously reachable only by helicopter or boat. It joins Nuuk Airport (GOH) in Greenland’s capital, which opened to international jet traffic in November 2024 after extending the runway. (Previously Nuuk was only compatible with smaller propeller planes and there was no proper security setup.) A third airport, Ilulissat Airport (JAV) north of the Arctic Circle, is scheduled to open this October.
Even with these major infrastructure updates, some U.S. travelers may be wondering whether to visit at all. In January, President Trump escalated his push to acquire Greenland, briefly refusing to rule out military force before reversing course. VisitDenmark, the tourism board based in Copenhagen, responded in January with an email to 6,000 U.S. travel advisors, assuring them that Americans remain warmly welcome.
This week, Visit Greenland, the tourism marketing entity operated by Greenland, echoed the message in an emailed statement to Afar. “We align with the general position communicated by VisitDenmark and continue to welcome international guests, including from the U.S.,” the tourism board said.
The tourism body said that the new airport is part of Greenland’s ongoing infrastructure and workforce investment with “a clear focus on long-term, balanced growth rather than rapid mass tourism.”
In South Greenland, days into the new airport opening, Miki Jensen, CEO of Innovation South Greenland, the region’s economic development agency, said the shift is already beginning to register on the ground. “The biggest change is not dramatic, but you can feel it,” Jensen said in an email interview. “There is more movement. More people arriving directly. More conversations about opportunities. Businesses are starting to adjust opening hours, services, and expectations.”
The Qaqortoq Airport provides access to Greenland’s agricultural heartland, home to about 6,000 people spread across 3 towns, 11 settlements, and 32 sheep farms. While roughly 80 percent of the country is covered by a permanent ice sheet, South Greenland, sitting at roughly 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, where Norse and Inuit farmers have lived for over a thousand years, and Tasermiut Fjord, often called “the Patagonia of Greenland” for its dramatic granite peaks.
For those interested in visiting the region, there are a handful of hotels in Qaqortoq, including Hotel Qaqortoq and the charming Siniffik Inn with its fjord and Lake Storesøen views.
Air Greenland will run up to 17 weekly flights between the capital of Nuuk and the new Qaqortoq Airport in the peak summer season. Meanwhile, Icelandair, which connects 15 U.S. airports to Keflavík International Airport (KEF) near Iceland’s capital, will also fly four times weekly to Qaqortoq this summer, alongside year-round service to Nuuk.
Back stateside, United Airlines returns to Nuuk Airport (GOH) this June, with twice-weekly 737 MAX service from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). United said Nuuk was among the fastest-selling new routes of its record 2025 international expansion. “We’re continuing to see strong interest in United’s Newark–Nuuk route, especially as consumers seek out unique, off-the-beaten-path destinations,” Matt Stevens, vice president of international network at United, told Afar.
As for what U.S. travelers should understand before booking, Jensen was direct. “South Greenland is not a place built for tourism. It’s first of all a place where people live,” he said, noting that the region isn’t trying to be a high-volume destination. “When you visit South Greenland, you are stepping into everyday life. You will meet people, not just products. You might be invited for coffee, visit a sheep farm, or join a small guided trip where the guide is also a fisherman or a student. What we offer is closeness, honesty, and time.”
With Ilulissat set to open in October as the third of Greenland’s new airports—and airlift continuing to expand—that approach will be tested. Home to the UNESCO-listed Ilulissat fjord, there is more tourism infrastructure on this western side of Greenland, including multiple hotels (such as Hotel Arctic, with an on-site fine dining restaurant and glass-encased Aurora Cabin rooms, Hotel Icefiord right on Disko Bay, and Hotel Hvide Falk, a 37-room property dating back to the ‘70s), plus vacation rentals, restaurants, and the open-air Upernavik Museum, which tells the story of a community that relied intensely on whaling.
Jensen pointed to a longer shared history, one where explorer Leif Erikson set sail from South Greenland and reached what is now North America a thousand years ago. His advice to travelers, as Greenland keeps opening to the world: “Come with curiosity, patience, and respect for how things work here.”
