Aviation in Greenland: Airports, tourism and the shadow of geopolitics

Greenland's commitment to large-scale international tourism has not been high on its agenda. However, latterly an improvement in air connectivity for its small indigenous population by way of the upgrading of Nuuk (the capital's) airport tied in with an attempt to enhance foreign visitor numbers.

Unfortunately that mission seems to have fallen flat, as tourist visits decreased wildly in 2025, an outcome that was driven by transitional issues and other factors.

In 2026 another two airports will be enhanced to the point where they will be considered new, and again with the combined objective of aiding indigenous travel and boosting tourist visits.

But just as this is about to bear fruit, along comes a foreign leader (the US president) who wants to seize the entire territory.