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I'm looking to go from Canada/US to visit Greenland & Iceland (very tentative plans), but am having trouble finding flights. It seems that there's generally flights from Copenhagen, but I'd rather not go all the way there to fly back to Greenland.

It appears there are seasonal flights from Iqulait in Nunavut, Canada from June to September, but I'm keen to go in March.

There are other mentions of flights from NYC airbases, but that's probably not available to me.

So the question - is it possible to get to Greenland/Iceland from Canada/US during March/April, without going via Denmark?

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Yes, you can, but only via Iceland. There are no non-stop or direct flights from the US to Greenland.

To Iceland:

Icelandair serves several US destinations year-round from Reykjavik's Keflavik International Airport, including:

  • Boston
  • Denver
  • New York-JFK
  • Seattle

Also, these destinations seasonally:

  • Anchorage (summer)
  • Minneapolis (summer)
  • Washington D.C. (summer)
  • Orlando-Sanford (winter)

Also, Delta Airlines flies from New York-JFK to Reykjavik in the summer.

Iceland to Greenland:

From Reykjavik's Keflavik International Airport, Air Greenland serves Nuuk.

From Reykjavik Airport (primarily a domestic airport), Air Iceland serves these destinations in Greenland:

  • Nuuk
  • Kulusuk Island
  • Neerlerit Inaat

Enjoy your trip!

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    So to get to Greenland from the US/Canada, you're saying it's only possible via Iceland?
    – Mark Mayo
    Commented Dec 9, 2012 at 1:12
  • You can also travel via Copenhagen. Air Greenland has regular flights to and from Copenhagen. Distance wise it is farther. It is an interesting alternative as the air fares from North America (and Europe) to Iceland can be prohibitive.
    – Maître Peseur
    Commented Dec 9, 2012 at 16:50
  • @MarcelC. - yeah, but like I said in the question, I was after routes that don't go via Denmark (it seems crazy to fly that far only to turn around and fly back). Cheers though.
    – Mark Mayo
    Commented Jan 30, 2013 at 20:58
  • United Airlines has announced flights Newark to Nuuk starting June 2025.
    – gerrit
    Commented Oct 17 at 20:26
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There was a flight from North America a few years ago -- Baltimore airport, to be precise -- but it was cancelled after less than a year.

It seemed to me that Air Greenland had chosen poorly, since they ran the flight all through the fall and winter, but finally gave it up as too expensive in the early spring, because not enough people were booking. But who wants to go to Greenland except in the summer?

So, yes, you'll have to go via Iceland. That's pretty direct, isn't it? Not like having to go all the way to Denmark and back. No worse than a typical hub-and-spoke connecting flight in America.

EDITED TO ADD: It seems there is now a summer flight from Iqaluit, Canada to Nuuk. Getting to Iqaluit may be trickier than getting to Reykjavik, though, and you still don't end up at the Kangerlussuaq central hub.

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  • It's not bad, and yes, a darn sight better than going via Denmark. I'd hoped to get to Kangerlussuaq during winter/spring actually - maybe I'm a bit odd ;) But if I can get to Nuuk, then there may be a way to get up north.
    – Mark Mayo
    Commented Dec 9, 2012 at 9:00
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    You can get from Nuuk airport to several other towns in Greenland on Air Greenland (which the locals call Immaqa Air, using the word meaning "maybe".) ourairports.com/airlines/GL
    – librik
    Commented Dec 9, 2012 at 9:27
  • Quite possibly the 'best' name I've seen for an airline ;)
    – Mark Mayo
    Commented Dec 9, 2012 at 9:34
  • See also: wikitravel.org/en/Greenland#By_plane
    – nibot
    Commented Dec 9, 2012 at 10:26
  • As per my comment on another answer, the flight to Iqaluit/Ottawa is a summer flight only, and I've specifically asked about March/April.
    – Mark Mayo
    Commented Dec 9, 2012 at 18:24
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Starting 14 June 2025, United Airlines will have seasonal direct flights from Newark to Nuuk.

This becomes possible due to the expansion of Nuuk Airport, which re-opened on 28 November 2024.

Those flights are seasonal, and don't appear to run in March or April.

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