Greenland Greets the World, On A Day to Remember

“This is day one and things are looking really promising,” said Jacob Nitter Sørensen as we waited in line for the bathroom.

We were somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean aboard Tuukkaq, Air Greenland’s Airbus A330neo, and as the CEO of Air Greenland, Jacob was all smiles. It was “the culmination of years of work and planning and preparation,” he said, “so today is just a great day.” We were just about halfway to Nuuk on the first-ever direct commercial flight from Copenhagen.

But it wasn’t just Jacob who was feeling the vibe – the whole plane was buzzing, toying with the commemorative airplanes and keychains everyone got, and trying to find places to interview each other – it seemed like half the flight was somehow media-affiliated, and the galleys were packed with flight crew and journalists jostling for space.

And while they might have been a bit annoyed with everyone getting in their way while they were trying to put on meal service (today including a celebratory champagne), the flight crew was just as excited as the passengers.

“It’s a very special day. Of course when we move around as crew on the aircraft, everything is almost the same…but in one hour we’re going to start the descent, and then it’s going to be completely different,” said Kristian Fernandez Jensen, who has been working with Air Greenland for 20 years.

His colleague Naduk Themotheussen, herself working with Air Greenland since 2007, chimed in to agree, telling me that she’s “very excited to be able to see my family in Nuuk, and…to see how the new airport is going to run.”

The pilots also got in on the action, switching on the intercom to remind everyone “we are all part of writing history” today, and to lead us in a cheer, guiding the whole plane in “three big hoorays at the same time!”

Touchdown

Meanwhile, excitement levels were equally high for the Nuummiut on the ground. We were originally meant to land from the south, but a change of wind meant we instead took a big loop in from the north, giving those of us on board a spectacular view of the city and Sermitsiaq Mountain, and those on the ground a full-circle flyby for this first-ever landing.

The pilot dutifully reminded us as we touched down, “don’t forget to wave at all the people who have showed up to see Tukkaq land,” and plenty of people showed up indeed! The sun-kissed roadsides were lined with jumping, cheering crowds angling to get a view of the runway and waving hundreds of Greenland’s red-and-white Erfalasorput flags in the November wind.

Prime Minister Múte Bourup Egede was ready and waiting in a starched blue tunic to welcome the arriving crowds, and after some short speeches it was time to cut the ceremonial ribbon with the bubbly support of a local primary school class, clearly excited and a little dazzled by the day’s events.

Greenland’s most famous YouTuber, Qupanuk Olsen – better known as Q – was also on hand to document the scene, and a heaping buffet of tea, coffee and cakes made sure the arriving travelers and local revelers were fed and nourished for the rest of the day – which was nowhere near over!

A Night Like No Other

Luggage in hand, we headed into town to freshen up and get ready for another round of celebrations, while – let us not forget – travelers making the first direct trip in the other direction from Nuuk to Copenhagen set off towards Denmark.

But the city’s attention had already shifted downtown, where the sun was going down and the restaurants were filling up. People greeted and chatted, ready for a long arctic night celebrating their one-of-a-kind city and the events of the day that left it forever changed.

The cultural center was packed full of VIPs celebrating a formal gala, while the restaurants along the main drag were just as festive – if not as fancy. The community house rang out with sing-along music and kids’ performances, and the city’s many musicians had no shortage of gigs for the night.

But the guitars and accordions fell silent at 21.00, when the fireworks began and partiers poured onto the streets, gaping skyward. Choreographed to local superstars like Andachan and Tarrak, this might have been the biggest pyrotechnics show the city has ever seen (and Nuuk is no stranger to enthusiastic fireworks displays)!

And so a chorus of cheers, booms, and bass rang out through the crisp night air, and the snow-covered ground was quickly streaked with ashes – but this was very much a concern for tomorrow. When the smoke finally cleared, everyone headed back inside to celebrate, where the city’s bands and DJs were ready to stretch this once-in-a-lifetime night just a little bit further.

Dreams and Opportunities

Of course, the new airport and direct flights are just as much about the world getting close to Greenland as they are Greenlanders getting close to the world, and many Greenlanders have begun turning their thoughts to what these dramatic changes mean for the future – not least what kind of opportunities this all opens up for their next holidays!

“We are connecting the capital to the rest of the world,” says Qupanuk Olsen, “and we’re planning on going to New York! But we would also love to go to Montreal, so I might go to New York, Montreal, Iqaluit, and then back to Nuuk.”

And while some clearly have big trips in mind, others are dreaming about how a quicker and cheaper connection makes smaller, shorter trips possible – something that has long been difficult for Greenlanders.

“We could go on vacation for a shorter period of time instead of having to save up to go for three or four weeks,” says Jesper Øraker, owner of local agency Greenland Escape. “We’re also expecting to be able to get to [see family in] the US cheaper and much more often.”

With the landing of this first non-stop flight to Denmark, Nuuk’s horizons have broadened immediately and immeasurably, and as we have seen in the weeks since, the world is quickly sitting up and taking notice. In truth, it’s long overdue that everyone got to know their delightful Greenlandic neighbors to the north – but on their terms and no one else’s!