Ilulissat Airport (JAV) opened on 29 October 2026, marking a turning point for air access to Greenland. Air Greenland inaugurated a direct service from Copenhagen (CPH) on the same day, operating the inaugural flight with its Airbus A330-800neo named Tuukkaq.
The opening completes a three-airport expansion programme that has reshaped how Greenland connects with the rest of the world. Qaqortoq Airport (JJU) opened in April 2026, and Nuuk's expanded airport came into service in November 2024. Ilulissat is the final piece of that programme, and arguably the most significant, given its position beside the UNESCO-listed Ilulissat Icefjord and its potential to draw international visitors directly to the Arctic.
Ilulissat Airport: A New Runway Changes Everything
Ilulissat's former airfield featured a runway of roughly 845 metres, a length that restricted operations to smaller turboprop aircraft. That facility has since been decommissioned. Its replacement stretches to 2,200 metres (7,200 feet), as Aviation A2Z reports, sufficient to accommodate both narrowbody and widebody jet aircraft. Certification was granted by the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority once inspections and testing of aviation safety systems had been completed, though the approval carries temporary operating conditions for an initial phase.
The change in routing is substantial. For many years, Kangerlussuaq Airport (SFJ), built on the site of a former US air base, functioned as the primary international hub for arrivals into Greenland. Anyone heading to Ilulissat had no choice but to transit through Kangerlussuaq and board a smaller onward aircraft. With direct services now in place, that cumbersome two-stage journey is no longer required.
Who Is Flying and When
Winter operations begin modestly. Jettime (JP) takes over the Copenhagen route from 2 November 2026 using Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with the initial winter timetable built around one weekly departure, generally on Wednesdays. Additional Monday flights are planned around Christmas, New Year and the March 2027 period.
Air Greenland is set to assume the Copenhagen route in April 2027, operating the service with its Airbus A320neo named Unaaq. From mid-June to early September, the carrier plans up to six weekly round trips, with full operations targeted for summer 2027.
International connectivity beyond Denmark arrives in summer 2027. Icelandair (FI) plans seasonal flights from Keflavík (KEF) to Ilulissat running from 3 June to 16 October 2027, with up to three departures per week during the peak summer period.
You can explore Air Greenland's network and fleet in more detail using our Airline Search.
The Funding Behind the Project
Bringing the airport into existence required considerable public funding. In 2018, an agreement was reached whereby the Danish state purchased a one-third share in the airport development company for DKK 700 million, with a further commitment to extend loans of as much as DKK 450 million. The scale of that financial involvement illustrates how indispensable Copenhagen's backing has been to the viability of the whole programme.
Construction overruns pushed the opening back by around two years from the original 2024 target date. The facility is now managed by Greenland Airports, an operator established in 2024 following the merger of Kalaallit Airports and Mittarfeqarfiit, which oversees this site alongside the other airports within the expanded network.
What This Means for Greenland's Connectivity
For much of its modern aviation history, Greenland's international connections funnelled through Kangerlussuaq, a remote hub that made geographic sense as a former military base but little sense for passengers. The shift towards purpose-built civilian airports at the territory's main population and tourism centres represents a structural change in how Greenland presents itself to the world.
Ilulissat sits beside one of the most visited natural attractions in the Arctic. Direct jet access from Copenhagen and, from next summer, from Reykjavík, removes a significant barrier for travellers who previously faced long connection times or limited seats on turboprop services. Whether the demand materialises to support the planned frequencies is something the 2027 summer season will begin to answer.
The three-airport programme has taken the better part of a decade from its financing agreements to completion. The opening of Ilulissat Airport is, in that sense, the moment the investment becomes operational reality rather than a plan on paper.
The Bottom Line
Ilulissat Airport is open, jet-capable and already receiving direct services from Copenhagen. The winter schedule is thin by design, but the summer 2027 timetable, with Air Greenland running up to six weekly round trips and Icelandair adding a link from Iceland, will be the real test of whether the new infrastructure attracts the traffic it was built to serve. For now, a territory that once routed nearly all its international passengers through a converted Cold War airfield has a modern gateway of its own.
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