Greenland’s new airport is for tourists. But it could also support a future independent state

Greenland has opened a new international airport, seeking to lure visitors from around the world as the Arctic island looks toward eventual independence from Denmark.

Thursday’s inaugural international flight between Copenhagen, Denmark, and Ilulissat, Greenland , was part of the island government’s efforts to grow its tourism industry to boost and diversify an economy still reliant on fishing.

Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen described the new airport as “one of the biggest investments” in the island’s history. Nielsen was one of 169 passengers on Thursday’s 4.5-hour flight on an Airbus A330neo. An Associated Press journalist also took the flight, operated by government-owned Air Greenland, as part of a trip organized by tourism agency Visit Greenland, for this story.

“If Greenland wants to be independent, we need to have a strong foundation, both economically and in terms of industry and business,” Nielsen told the AP before the plane departed.

The strategic island, home to roughly 56,000 people, has been a focus of U.S. President Donald Trump since his first term, when he initially expressed his desire to acquire Greenland . His repeated threats to seize the territory from Denmark, a NATO ally, during his second term prompted months of tensions with other NATO allies. In September, Trump signed an agreement with the leaders of Denmark and Greenland to strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic.

“There’s no doubt that it has been a shadow over the entire Kingdom of Denmark, but especially Greenland,” said Danish Finance Minister Peter Hummelgaard, who also took the inaugural flight. “The opening of this new international airport marks, I think, hope and optimism.”

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Everyone is talking about Greenland. Here’s what it’s like to visit

Ilulissat, known as the “City of Icebergs,” sits along the island’s western coast and is home to some 5,000 people. Greenland’s third-largest city is also one of the island’s most-visited destinations. More than 550 kilometers (342 miles) north of the capital, Nuuk, its tourism offerings range from sled dog tours to icefjord cruises in picturesque Disko Bay, known for its towering icebergs.

Previously, travelers reaching Ilulissat had to arrive by cruise ship, take a small plane from Iceland or fly to one of Greenland’s international hubs and connect to smaller aircraft. There are no road connections from other big towns.

For decades, Greenland’s main international aviation gateways were former U.S. military air bases, distant echoes of World War II, in Kangerlussuaq and Narsarsuaq. Locals and international visitors had to land there before catching smaller aircraft to the island’s major towns, including Ilulissat and Nuuk. That changed in late 2024, when an international airport opened in Nuuk.

格陵兰岛开设了一座新的国际机场，希望吸引世界各地的游客，因为这个北极岛屿正朝着最终脱离丹麦独立迈进。

周四，丹麦哥本哈根和格陵兰岛伊卢利萨特之间的首航国际航班正式开通，这是格陵兰岛政府为发展旅游业、促进经济多元化和促进经济发展而采取的举措之一，该岛目前仍然依赖渔业。

格陵兰总理延斯-弗雷德里克·尼尔森称这座新机场是该岛历史上“最大的投资之一”。尼尔森是周四乘坐空客A330neo客机，经过4.5小时飞行抵达格陵兰的169名乘客之一。美联社的一名记者也搭乘了这趟由格陵兰国营航空公司运营的航班，此次行程由格陵兰旅游局（Visit Greenland）组织，旨在撰写这篇报道。

“如果格陵兰想要独立，我们需要在经济、工业和商业方面都拥有强大的基础，”尼尔森在飞机起飞前告诉美联社。

这座拥有约5.6万人口的战略要地，自美国总统唐纳德·特朗普第一任期以来就一直是他的关注焦点。当时，他最初表达了吞并格陵兰岛的意愿。在其第二任期内，他多次威胁要从北约盟国丹麦手中夺取该领土，导致与北约其他盟国之间长达数月的紧张关系。今年9月，特朗普与丹麦和格陵兰岛领导人签署了一项协议，旨在加强北极和北大西洋地区的安全。

“毫无疑问，这场灾难一直笼罩着整个丹麦王国，尤其是格陵兰岛，”丹麦财政大臣彼得·胡梅尔加德说道，他本人也乘坐了首航航班。“我认为，这座新国际机场的启用象征着希望和乐观。”

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大家都在谈论格陵兰岛。以下是游览格陵兰岛的真实体验。

伊卢利萨特，这座被誉为“冰山之城”的城市，坐落在格陵兰岛西海岸，拥有约5000名居民。作为格陵兰岛第三大城市，它也是岛上最热门的旅游目的地之一。伊卢利萨特位于首都努克以北550多公里（342英里）处，其旅游项目丰富多样，从雪橇犬之旅到风景如画的迪斯科湾冰峡湾巡游，应有尽有。迪斯科湾以其高耸的冰山而闻名。

此前，前往伊卢利萨特的旅客必须乘坐游轮，或从冰岛搭乘小型飞机，或飞往格陵兰岛的某个国际枢纽机场后再转乘小型飞机。与其他大城镇之间没有公路连接。

几十年来，格陵兰岛的主要国际航空门户是位于坎格尔路斯瓦格和纳尔萨克的二战时期美国军事空军基地，这些基地仿佛是遥远的二战遗迹。当地居民和国际游客必须先在那里降落，然后转乘小型飞机前往岛上的主要城镇，包括伊卢利萨特和努克。这种情况在2024年底发生了改变，努克国际机场正式启用。