An Arctic destination known as the "City of Icebergs" opened a new international airport last week, putting the region's spectacular scenery within relatively easy reach for international travelers.
Ilulissat International Airport is located on the western coast of Greenland, the remote, self-governing Danish island (and long-standing source of Trumpian obsession) that has been making moves the last couple years to improve tourism access.
The opening of the Ilulissat facility marks the conclusion of the island's ambitious airport expansion project, which also involved new airports in capital city Nuuk (in 2024) and Qaqortoq (earlier in 2026).
The Ilulissat gateway brings travelers to some of Greenland's most notable sites, including a UNESCO-recognized icefjord and Disko Bay, where you can spot whales amid mighty icebergs.
Up to now, you could only get to the area via ship or small plane service from elsewhere in Greenland or Iceland, according to the Associated Press.
But the new airport has a runway long enough to accommodate larger passenger jets. Euronews reports that Air Greenland has already launched a direct flight between Ilulissat and Copenhagen, Denmark, and starting next summer Icelandair will offer seasonal service to and from Keflavík, the airport serving Reykjavík in southwest Iceland.
There aren't any nonstop flights to Ilulissat from the U.S. at the moment, though United Airlines started a seasonal route to Greenland's Nuuk International Airport from Newark Liberty International Airport in 2025.
Greenland embarked on its airport expansion project in hopes of boosting tourism.
Visitation numbers haven't yet been as robust as officials were expecting, though that could have less to do with Greenland's available infrastructure than international tourists' unease about visiting a place the Trump administration has repeatedly threatened to seize, possibly by force.
“There’s no doubt that it [the Trump thing] has been a shadow over the entire Kingdom of Denmark, but especially Greenland,” Danish Finance Minister Peter Hummelgaard told the AP in Ilulissat. “The opening of this new international airport marks, I think, hope and optimism.”
For more about Greenland, read our feature Visiting Greenland for First-Timers.