For the first time in nearly two decades, a direct flight from the US has landed in Greenland

on 14 June, a United Airlines flight from the United States landed at the capital's airport in Nuuk, Greenland. According to FlightAware flight tracking service, this is the first direct flight from the United States to the island since 2008. As The Washington Post emphasises, the event coincided with the birthday of US President Donald Trump, who turned 79.

The Boeing 737 Max 8 took off from Newark International Airport (New Jersey) on 14 June at 11:31 a.m. local time and landed in Nuuk just over four hours later.

The one-way ticket cost about $1,200, while the return flight will cost between $1,300 and $1,500," WP specifies.

Until then, air services between the US and Greenland were very limited: there were no direct routes and most flights were connecting via Denmark or Iceland. The last attempt at direct service was in 2007, when Air Greenland launched flights between Baltimore and Kangerlussuaq (a city in northern Greenland, about 315 kilometres from Nuuk). However, after a year these flights were cancelled due to high production costs.

United Airlines announced plans to resume direct flights in October 2024, indicating that it would be the first and only carrier to connect the US with Nuuk directly. The company noted that the opening of the route would provide convenient access to the natural beauty of the Arctic and the northernmost administrative centre on the planet.

Greenland has recently been at the centre of US political attention. Donald Trump has stated that Washington is interested in acquiring the island, motivated by strategic considerations. However, the Greenland authorities gave an unambiguous answer: "The island is not for sale".