Greenland To Become More Accessible From The US And Canada

Currently, traveling to Greenland, particularly from the US, is a long and tiresome journey. However, this is set to change from June 1, 2022, as a new flight route will significantly reduce the journey time. Read on to find out about the new flight route and how much time it can save travelers.

Flying to Greenland for US travelers

Greenland has many attractions for visitors, including its dramatic scenery, Viking settlements, the northern lights, whale watching and festivals. However, the problem is that currently, getting there isn’t easy, especially for US travelers. Currently, the only direct flights are through Iceland and Denmark and travelers usually have to plan for long transfers and even a layover.

As things stand right now, travelers from North America fly into Iceland’s Keflavik International Airport. They then have to travel by car to Reykjavik City Airport to catch their next flight to Greenland. Depending on the time of day, this usually involves and a three- to four-hour transfer or an overnight stay.

However, this summer, getting to Greenland could become easier when Icelandair opens a new route to the Arctic island from Iceland. The new route is set to make the trip shorter and easier for travelers coming from Canada and the US.

New Icelandair route

As of June 1, Icelandair will move two of its Greenland flights from Reykjavik City Airport to Keflavik International Airport. The new route takes travelers to Greenland’s capital and largest city, Nuuk and Ilulissat. The latter city is home to the famous Disko Bay icebergs and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

With the new route, when travelers from North America arrive in Iceland, they can depart to either of these destinations in Greenland, from the same airport they flew into. This removes the need to travel across the country to get to Reykjavik to catch a connecting flight.

On top of this, Iceland has also timed departures to and from Greenland in Iceland so that they complement the US and Canada flight schedules.
Speaking of the new flights, Michael Raucheisen of Icelandair said the Greenland schedule from Keflavik is ideal for US connections.

“The flights to Greenland depart early morning after arrivals from the US and Canada, and on the return leg they’ll arrive back in Keflavik before departures to the US and Canada,” he added.

While the new flights make things easier for North American travelers, the process will be simplified further next year. This will come as Greenland completes renovations on the airports in Nuuk and Ilulissat. The renovations will help to accommodate direct international flights from North America and Europe.

Concerns for the environment

While the new route will surely help to boost Greenland’s economy, there are concerns that the growth of tourism could impact the environment. More travelers could have a negative effect on the traditional ways of life in the country as it moves to accommodate more people arriving by air.

Reportedly, the impact of climate change is already clear almost everywhere in Greenland. This has caused the ice to melt faster than at any time in the last 12,000 years. Kangerlussuaq Airport, the country’s main transport hub, will be ending flights in 2024 due to permafrost cracking the runway.

Visit Greenland CEO, Hjörtur Smárason spoke at a conference hosted by travel industry news site Skift in March. He said that “climate change is the big story, and then you need to fly [to Greenland]. It creates this contradiction.”

However, while getting to Greenland isn’t really sustainable, Smárason said the country is rethinking tourism on the ground. The plan is to make minimal climate impact by investing in local experiences, food and unique attractions like dog-sledding.

The island nation is also developing infrastructure to accommodate the local population and growth in visitor numbers without overwhelming the country.

In the meantime, the new Icelandair route is good news for US and Canadian travelers interested in visiting this unique Arctic country.