Greenland inaugurates a new airport in Ilulissat

Greenland has inaugurated a new airport in Ilulissat, on the west coast of the Danish autonomous territory, as part of a project intended to improve domestic air links and connections with the rest of the world. The airport has a 2,200-meter runway capable of accommodating large aircraft.

The infrastructure is operated by Greenland Airports, whose director, Jens Lauridsen, said that the new airports in Ilulissat, Nuuk and Qaqortoq are fundamentally changing how Greenland’s regions are connected. The new airport in Ilulissat is the third major project inaugurated recently, after those near the capital Nuuk, which opened in November 2024, and Qaqortoq, inaugurated in April 2026.

The investment, partially financed by Denmark, is considered important for the development of the local economy and tourism. Ilulissat is located approximately 300 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, near Disko Bay and an ice fjord that has been included on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2004.

Greenland has around 56,000 inhabitants and relies on fishing for approximately 90% of its economy. Authorities see tourism, mineral resource extraction and agriculture in the southern part of the island as possible avenues for economic diversification.