Greenland is rapidly emerging from the fringes of the aviation map to become one of the Arctic’s most connected destinations. In a pivotal move for transatlantic travel, United Airlines, Air Greenland, and SAS are rolling out a new generation of routes in 2025 and 2026 that will knit together North America, Scandinavia, and Greenland’s remote communities more tightly than ever before. As new airports open, fleets modernize, and demand for polar adventures climbs, the island once reachable only via complicated connections is poised to become a attainable journey for a long weekend as well as extended expeditions.
A New Era of Nonstop Access to Greenland
The most eye catching development in Greenland aviation is the confirmation that United Airlines will continue its nonstop route between Newark Liberty International Airport and Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, into the summer 2026 season. United debuted the route in June 2025, becoming the first United States carrier in nearly two decades to offer scheduled nonstop service to the island. The airline has now committed to a second summer season, reflecting stronger than expected demand from American travelers drawn to the Arctic scenery, midnight sun, and fast growing cultural scene in Nuuk.
The Newark to Nuuk flight effectively shrinks the distance between the northeastern United States and the Arctic. Flight times average around four and a half hours, putting Nuuk within a similar journey time as many Caribbean or Western European destinations. Operating with a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft on a twice weekly schedule, the route turns what once required a complicated series of connections through Iceland or Denmark into a single daylight hop that makes long weekend getaways and short exploratory trips possible for the first time.
SAS, meanwhile, has reentered the Greenland market after a hiatus of more than twenty years, launching direct flights between Copenhagen and Nuuk in summer 2025. The Scandinavian carrier’s seasonal route, operated by Airbus A320neo aircraft, reconnects the Danish capital with Greenland’s political and economic center and plugs Greenland into SAS’s extensive European and intercontinental network. With multiple weekly frequencies during the peak summer period, the service is designed to dovetail with SAS connections to major cities across Europe, North America, and Asia, giving international travelers more flexibility than ever before.
These moves come on top of Air Greenland’s long established presence on the Denmark to Greenland corridor and signal that Greenland is entering a new phase where multiple airlines, alliances, and hubs will compete to bring visitors to the world’s largest island. What was once a niche and logistically challenging destination is now being marketed as a high impact, accessible addition to both North American and European itineraries.
United’s Newark to Nuuk Route Bridges the Arctic and North America
United’s Newark to Nuuk service has quickly become a symbol of Greenland’s changing fortunes. The route launched in June 2025 with daytime departures from Newark and return services from Nuuk scheduled to maintain convenient connections to and from the carrier’s vast North American network. From United’s perspective, Newark offers the strongest platform to tap into demand not only from the New York metropolitan area but also from major population centers along the East Coast and in the Midwest, thanks to an array of onward flights.
The seasonal route is structured around the core summer travel window, when Greenland’s weather is relatively mild and its hiking trails, fjords, and coastal communities are most accessible. For 2026, United is expected to follow a familiar twice weekly pattern using the fuel efficient 737 MAX 8, balancing growing demand with the operational realities of flying to a still developing Arctic airport. The aircraft type offers the right combination of range, economics, and capacity for a niche yet rising market, allowing United to serve Greenland profitably while testing the robustness of long term interest.
For travelers, the convenience of the nonstop cannot be overstated. Previously, journeys from the United States to Nuuk often meant connecting through Reykjavik or Copenhagen, with total travel times stretching to 12 hours or more depending on schedules and layovers. By comparison, the direct Newark service compresses the journey into less than five hours of flying. This not only makes Greenland viable for shorter trips but also opens the door to spontaneous travel, last minute bookings, and a more mainstream audience who might not have considered such a remote destination when it required an intricate itinerary.
The route also positions Nuuk as more than a gateway. As an emerging small city with growing cultural institutions, a dynamic culinary scene, and easy access to nature, Nuuk can now be marketed in its own right as an Arctic city break. United’s marketing has leaned into this narrative, presenting the Greenlandic capital as the northernmost capital reachable directly from the United States and highlighting the novelty of stepping off a medium haul flight into a landscape of fjords, ice, and dramatic coastal mountains.
SAS Rebuilds the Copenhagen–Nuuk Bridge for Europe and Beyond
On the European side of the Atlantic, SAS’s decision to return to Greenland after two decades underscores the shifting strategic value of the Arctic. The carrier’s Copenhagen to Nuuk route, which launched in June 2025, places Greenland back into one of Scandinavia’s most important aviation hubs. Copenhagen’s role as a connecting gateway for Northern Europe means that travelers from cities such as London, Paris, Berlin, and Rome can now reach Greenland with a straightforward one stop itinerary.
Operating with Airbus A320neo aircraft, SAS is betting on a blend of efficiency and comfort. The narrow body jets, equipped for roughly five hour sectors, are well suited to the relatively thin but high yielding leisure and niche business traffic expected on the route. The airline schedules its flights several times a week through the peak summer season, with timings designed to align with longer haul arrivals and departures, turning Nuuk into a final leg of a broader European trip for many visitors.
Strategically, the route helps SAS and its alliance partners capitalize on global curiosity about the Arctic. Adventure travel, climate tourism, and experiential journeys have all seen strong growth over the past decade. Greenland’s dramatic environment, with its mix of glaciers, icebergs, and Indigenous culture, fits neatly into this trend. By connecting Nuuk directly to Copenhagen, SAS positions itself as a primary carrier for European travelers who want a Scandinavian led, single airline experience from home city to Arctic frontier.
The reintroduction of SAS service also has a political and cultural dimension. Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, and restoring direct links between Copenhagen and the capital reinforces social, economic, and family ties across the North Atlantic. For Greenlandic residents studying, working, or receiving medical care in Denmark, the SAS route provides additional choice and redundancy alongside Air Greenland services, contributing to a more resilient air bridge between the two shores.
Air Greenland’s Strategic Expansion and the Road to 2026
While United and SAS are drawing headlines with their international launches, Air Greenland remains the backbone of the country’s aviation system and is quietly laying the groundwork for the next stage of growth. The national carrier has confirmed that direct flights between Kangerlussuaq and Copenhagen will continue in 2026 through an agreement with tour operator partners. Operated once a week, these flights serve as a crucial link for tourism and local travel, channeling visitors into key destinations such as Sisimiut and Ilulissat via coordinated domestic connections.
Kangerlussuaq has historically been Greenland’s main international gateway, thanks to a runway long enough to handle jet aircraft even before Nuuk and other towns built or expanded their own facilities. Maintaining scheduled service there into 2026 ensures that existing tourism products, including classic ice cap excursions and inland wilderness experiences, remain viable even as the country’s airport network shifts toward new hubs. The carefully timed Tuesday flights from Copenhagen are optimized to support both incoming tour groups and local residents traveling within Greenland.
Looking slightly beyond 2026, Air Greenland is also preparing for a major leap in capability with the planned introduction of a leased Airbus A320neo by the end of that year. The aircraft, expected to enter commercial service in spring 2027, will be used to support new and expanded routes, particularly to and from a new international airport at Ilulissat in North Greenland. With a 2,200 meter runway and modern facilities, Ilulissat’s airport is scheduled to open in late 2026 and will give Air Greenland and its partners much more flexibility to develop direct connections to Europe and potentially other markets.
The combination of continued Kangerlussuaq service, emerging Nuuk networks, and future capacity at Ilulissat paints a picture of a country methodically upgrading its infrastructure. Rather than relying on a single entry point, Greenland is moving toward a multi node system where different airports serve distinct roles in tourism, domestic connectivity, and international travel. Air Greenland’s fleet choices and schedule planning through 2026 reflect this transition and create a platform that United and SAS can plug into, enabling smoother journeys for passengers who wish to combine multiple regions of Greenland in a single trip.
How the New Routes Reshape Transatlantic Travel
Taken together, the United, SAS, and Air Greenland developments represent more than just a few new entries in timetable databases. They are reshaping, in subtle but significant ways, how travelers think about the North Atlantic. For decades, the dominant transatlantic narrative has revolved around routes linking major North American cities with Western Europe’s largest hubs. Greenland, by contrast, sat literally and figuratively in between, often overlooked by passengers moving thousands of feet above.
The arrival of direct flights changes that calculus. With Newark and Copenhagen now firmly linked to Nuuk, and Kangerlussuaq and eventually Ilulissat connected to Copenhagen through Air Greenland, a new Arctic corridor is taking shape. Travelers can imagine itineraries that start on the East Coast of the United States, hop to Nuuk for several days of exploration, and then continue on to Europe via Copenhagen, or reverse the direction. It becomes feasible to integrate Greenland into multi stop vacations, corporate retreats, or educational journeys without dramatically inflating travel time.
For aviation planners, Greenland’s growing role also has operational implications. The island occupies a strategic position between North America and Europe, and improvements in runway length, navigation, and rescue capabilities broaden the range of options airlines have for polar and near polar routes. While the current United and SAS services are primarily point to point leisure and visiting friends and relatives routes, the investments supporting them also contribute to the wider resilience of North Atlantic aviation, particularly in an era of changing climate patterns and shifting jet streams.
Moreover, these routes are arriving at a moment when interest in high latitude travel is dovetailing with broader geopolitical and scientific focus on the Arctic. Greenland has become a focal point in discussions about climate change, mineral resources, and global shipping lanes. Easier access from both sides of the Atlantic is likely to accelerate the flow of researchers, policymakers, and journalists to the island, embedding it more deeply not only in travel culture but also in international affairs.
Opportunities and Responsibilities for Greenland’s Tourism Sector
The surge in connectivity carries immense opportunity for Greenland’s tourism sector. With more frequent and more convenient flights, local operators can confidently design products that cater to a wider spectrum of visitors. Shorter, four or five day adventure packages from North America become realistic when flights are daytime, nonstop, and scheduled several times per week. Longer itineraries that combine Nuuk with Ilulissat, Sisimiut, or remote coastal communities can be more easily marketed in Europe when Copenhagen serves as a simple gateway.
New air routes also tend to stimulate investment on the ground. Hotels, guesthouses, guiding companies, and restaurants have greater incentive to expand or upgrade when seat capacity rises and schedules are published far in advance. The confirmation that United will return in 2026 and that SAS has reestablished Copenhagen to Nuuk service allows Greenlandic businesses to plan more than one season ahead. This stability, in turn, can attract international partners who want to co develop experiences, from cruise and flight combinations timed around the 2026 solar eclipse to academic programs and film projects.
Yet with opportunity comes responsibility. Greenland’s environment is both fragile and central to its appeal. The glaciers, ice fjords, and coastal ecosystems that inspire visitors are also under pressure from global warming. As arrivals grow, there will be increasing scrutiny of how tourism is managed to minimize local environmental impacts and to ensure that communities benefit equitably from economic gains. Airlines, airports, and tour operators will face questions about carbon footprints, noise, and cultural sensitivity.
In this context, the airlines’ use of relatively modern, fuel efficient aircraft such as the Boeing 737 MAX 8, Airbus A320neo, and Air Greenland’s A330neo and future A320neo is not incidental. While aviation remains a carbon intensive industry, these fleets represent incremental improvements over previous generations, and carriers serving Greenland will likely be under particular pressure to explore sustainable aviation fuels, carbon offsetting partnerships, and community based environmental programs that link air travel to conservation.
What Travelers Can Expect in 2026 and How to Plan
For travelers eyeing Greenland in 2026, the practical implications of these network shifts are already coming into focus. From North America, the cornerstone option will be United’s seasonal Newark to Nuuk service, which offers the simplicity of a single check in and a short transatlantic style flight into the Arctic. Those living outside the New York area can connect through Newark on United or partner airlines, often with minimal layovers that keep total journey times manageable.
From Europe and beyond, SAS and Air Greenland will continue to anchor access primarily through Copenhagen. SAS’s summer flights to Nuuk give European travelers a choice between the Scandinavian carrier and Air Greenland services when planning journeys to the capital, while Air Greenland’s Kangerlussuaq operations and future Ilulissat focus offer alternatives tailored to specific regions and types of trips. When combined with wider alliance networks, these routes make it possible for travelers from Asia, the Middle East, and other parts of the world to reach Greenland with just one or two stops.
Given the seasonal nature of most services, however, careful planning remains essential. Summer remains the prime window for visitors who want milder weather, extended daylight, and easier access to hiking, boating, and cultural events. Flights can sell out months in advance for peak weeks, especially around major events or phenomena such as the August 2026 solar eclipse that will traverse parts of Greenland and is expected to attract dedicated eclipse chasers. Flexible dates, early booking, and a willingness to consider shoulder season travel can all help secure better fares and availability.
On the ground, travelers should expect a mix of modern and still developing infrastructure. Nuuk’s expanded airport, improved hotels, and growing food scene contrast with the more limited facilities in some smaller communities, where charm and authenticity go hand in hand with basic services. The new air links make it possible to combine these experiences more easily in a single itinerary, but they also reward travelers who take the time to understand local conditions, respect Indigenous culture, and approach Greenland not simply as an Instagram backdrop but as a living society in the midst of rapid transformation.
Greenland’s Skies in 2026: From Remote Frontier to Connected Arctic Hub
As 2026 progresses, the combined efforts of United Airlines, Air Greenland, and SAS look set to redefine Greenland’s place on the global travel map. The continuation and expansion of nonstop routes from Newark and Copenhagen, the preservation of long standing links to Kangerlussuaq, and the preparation for new capacity at Ilulissat together form a lattice of connectivity that would have been hard to imagine only a decade ago. North American and European travelers will increasingly see Greenland not as an out of reach dream but as a realistic, well connected destination sitting at the crossroads of their usual transatlantic patterns.
For Greenland itself, the shift is both an opportunity and a test. Greater connectivity can bring economic diversification, new careers in tourism and aviation, and a more vibrant cultural exchange with the wider world. It can also challenge communities to manage change on their own terms, preserving language, traditions, and ecosystems even as arrivals rise. The airlines, airports, tour operators, and policymakers shaping routes in 2026 are therefore not only drawing lines on maps but helping to write the next chapter of Greenland’s relationship with the world.
What is clear is that the island’s skies are becoming busier, its airports more capable, and its position between continents more central. As United, Air Greenland, and SAS roll out their 2026 schedules and beyond, travelers willing to look north will find an Arctic that is closer, more connected, and more complex than ever, inviting exploration while reminding visitors that even in an age of global networks, the world’s most remarkable places demand both curiosity and care.