On Saturday, the first United Airlines flight from the USA will land at Nuuk airport after just over four hours in the air.
After just over four hours in the air, you can now get from the American metropolis of New York to the world’s largest island, Greenland, after a new flight route was officially inaugurated on Saturday.
At 6:45 p.m., the first direct scheduled flight from Newark Airport will land at the new international airport in Nuuk.
On Saturday morning, there are only a few available seats left on the plane, according to the airline’s website.
The new route, which will have two flights per week until September, is expected to increase the number of visitors to Greenland ‘significantly’.
This is stated by the Greenlandic tourism organization Visit Greenland in a written response to Ritzau.
– Our research has shown that one of the biggest challenges has been that Greenland was perceived as difficult to access. It is now much easier to get here, and that is a clear advantage – both for society and for travelers.
A historic event
Jens Lauridsen, CEO of Greenland Airports, calls the day “historic”.
– We are proud to have succeeded in this, and that we are now opening the door to the world and to new opportunities for citizens, businesses and all of Greenland, he says to the medium Check-in.dk.
United Airlines is expected to use the company’s Boeing 737 MAX-8 aircraft, which can seat 168 passengers.
Saturday’s departure is almost full, according to United Airlines’ website. Saturday morning, there are 14 available seats left on the departure, according to the airline’s website.
The new airport in Nuuk received the first direct flight from Denmark in November last year.
The trip between Copenhagen and Nuuk takes just under five hours and has made it easier to get to the capital of Greenland. Previously, it required a stopover in Kangerlussuaq.
The airport, which is one of the kingdom’s largest infrastructure projects in recent years, has been hit by many bumps in the road.
It has been a long process to build the new airport and get the new 2200 meter runway approved.
But with the new runway, which previously measured 950 meters, now in use, it is for the first time possible for the Greenlandic capital to receive larger aircraft directly from Copenhagen, Europe and the rest of the world.