United Airlines expects problems at major airports in the territory result in several flights cancelled across multiple airlines and dozens of passengers stranded at Arctic destinations.
Nuuk International Airport (GOH) in the Greenland capital temporarily suspended all international flights on Wednesday due to concerns about safety personnel training.
News of the interruption prompted Manchester United to reverse the plane heading to Nuuk at the time. A Chicago Airways spokesman said the plane confirmed an early report of a mile when it landed at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).
Manchester United eventually canceled the northbound flight and a return flight scheduled for Newark on Wednesday.
Nuuk’s suspension of services has caused other airlines, including Scandinavia, to close mid-week flights – leaving passengers on the ground in Greenland with few options to set off.
Manchester United: Flights to Saturday resumed
By Wednesday afternoon, things seemed to have been back on track.
Greenland Airport announced that international departures will resume on Thursday and provide additional security personnel from Denmark airports.
United told TPG on Wednesday afternoon that the airline plans to advance its service scheduled to Saturday to Nuuk.
However, the airline does have a travel avoidance waiver, covering flights in Greenland, allowing customers to reschedule their trips or rebook to Iceland’s Keflavik Airport (KEF).
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Passengers who have not rebooked on other flights can request a refund under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s flight refund policy.
Passengers are stranded
If United’s Saturday departure from EWR to GOH does leave as planned, the airline will eventually go to Greenland only once in full since operating the route twice a week.
Nevertheless, with few flight options to and from Greenland and no other regular travelers between the territory and North America, they plan to return to the United States on Wednesday, facing limited options and unable to get home quickly.
The airline told TPG it is working with passengers currently in Greenland to assist with rebooking on a case-by-case basis.
At best, this may involve travelers connecting to the United States through Iceland or Europe.
Since the late 2000s, when Manchester United launched its service to Nuuk in June, it became the first airline to operate scheduled flights between the United States and Greenland.
Nuuk opened a brand new terminal and runway in November last year, laying the foundation for the increase in international commercial aviation services.
For all the exaggerated part of making Greenland an epic destination and a new route to this innovation, part of it is its distantness.
Earlier this month, Greenland tourism officials told TPG that the increase in tourism this summer proved to be a “learning process” given the region’s limited infrastructure and accommodation.
“Of course, we have to learn something. But I think it’s very promising,” Tanny Por, the head of international relations in Greenland, told me. “This is the first time we have any airlines from outside Copenhagen or Iceland, so it is really a big milestone and a big historical moment.”
Manchester United announced that its uninterrupted service to Greenland will be a few days after returning to the second summer in 2026, with disruptions to Greenland services this week.
Its 2025 Nuuk flight scheduled to last until late September.
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