Growing frustration in Greenland after Denmark revokes Nuuk airport’s international flight authorization

International flights remain suspended at Greenland’s Nuuk airport after the Danish Transport Agency refused to reinstate services suspended in August amid security concerns, according to a report in the Copenhagen Post. 

On Monday, the chairman of the Greenlandic government, Múte B. Egede, and Greenland’s minister for housing and infrastructure, Hans Peter Poulsen, summoned the board chairman and deputy chairman of Greenland Airports to discuss the suspension, according to a statement from Naalakkersuisut, the chief executive body and government of Greenland.

“The current conditions are unacceptable, and we expect further focus to be placed on progress,” said Egede, according to the report.

The Danish Transport Agency is due to visit the airport for an inspection next month.

The world’s largest island will enter a new phase of tourism development with the opening of a new international airport at Nuuk in late 2025, according to a report in Travel and Tour World, an industry publication.

Known for its vast, unspoiled landscapes and Arctic wilderness, Greenland aims to attract more tourists while focusing on sustainability, according to the report. With a population of just under 57,000 spread across more than 2 million square kilometers, the Danish territory is keen to avoid the challenges of over-tourism that have sometimes negatively impacted Arctic and near-Arctic destinations including nearby Iceland, it said.

Most international flights to Greenland now arrive in Kangerlussuaq, requiring a domestic connection to Nuuk. The new airport will allow for more direct international flights, with Air Greenland planning to connect to major cities such as Copenhagen and potentially to Canada and other locations. An extended runway and modern terminal will support increased tourism, while Greenland’s authorities say they are taking steps to ensure this growth remains sustainable, according to the report.