Tourists Discovering This Ravishingly Beautiful Nordic Destination Could Be In For A Troubling Airport Experience

Greenland, a sustainable and gorgeous destination, is becoming a hot spot for tourism, aided in part by its new airport in the capital, Nuuk. But it sounds like the facility has faced growing pains in recent days. In the last week of August 2025, a United Airlines flight from Newark Airport — which itself has struggled with delays and cancellations earlier this year – had to turn back midflight because security staff in Nuuk lacked the training needed to process international travelers. The airport then cancelled all international flights for several days until staffing could be adjusted. Training is ongoing to help ensure the problem doesn't happen again. United resumed its twice-weekly flights to Greenland on August 30, 2025.

But travelers departing Nuuk may still face waits. The airport issued a press release confirming that security for international departures will open only three hours before departure times. Officials acknowledged that there will be periods when international screening is closed, but said passengers should still have sufficient time to make their flights.

The new Nuuk Airport opened in November 2024, and the first direct flights from the United States began arriving in June 2025. The last time travelers could fly directly from the U.S. to Greenland was in 2008.

The rollout of the new flights didn't go smoothly, and it seems to have been a combination of weather and strong demand. "The demand has probably been a little bit higher than expected, and with a new airport, there are always going to be some implementation issues, some bumps in the road," Jacob Nitter Sorensen, the chief executive of Air Greenland, told The New York Times.

Even with the turbulence over staffing and security, the project marks a milestone. "It is Greenland's largest construction project to date," according to engineering company NIRAS, which consulted on the project. The runway was extended to more than twice its previous length and now measures more than 7,200 feet, which helps make it long enough to accommodate international flights. Before that, the only runways in Greenland long enough for large planes used for international travel were at American military bases. So Nuuk Airport represents a very real change for Greenland, and with any change, there are adjustments. In the case of United, the airline offered travelers a waiver to rebook their flights without incurring a change fee or rerouting through Keflavik Airport in Iceland. But for now, it may be wise to get travel insurance when booking this particular route as it works out the kinks.