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United Airlines will return to Greenland for a second summer in 2026

Sean Cudahy
Sean Cudahy
Senior Aviation Reporter
Sean Cudahy is an aviation reporter covering news about airlines, frequent flyer programs and consumer travel issues.
Aug. 25, 2025
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3 min read
united plane nuuk 3
United Airlines will return to Greenland for a second summer in 2026
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United Airlines is bringing back one of its most ambitious routes for a second summer season.

The Chicago-based carrier on Monday announced it will return to Greenland in 2026, following up on the historic nonstop service it launched to Greenland's capital city of Nuuk earlier this summer.

United's top network planner, Patrick Quayle, broke the news in a social media post Monday, saying the carrier would return to Greenland, a "gem of the Arctic," in 2026.

Nuuk, Greenland
Nuuk, Greenland. SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY

United's service to Nuuk International Airport (GOH) from its Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) hub was a first for the aviation industry.

I was on board the inaugural flight in June, which was the first regularly scheduled service connecting the U.S. with Greenland since 2007 — and the first ever on board a U.S. carrier.

Read more: United Airlines connects the US to Greenland in historic new nonstop flight

United Airlines pilots commemorate the carrier's launch of Nuuk, Greenland service
United Airlines pilots commemorate the carrier's launch of Nuuk, Greenland service. SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY

Roughly a four-hour flight from the New York City area (depending on weather), the destination offers quite the respite from the hot summer.

During my four-day visit, temperatures hovered around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and a short boat ride from Nuuk offered breathtaking glimpses of icebergs.

An iceberg in Nuuk fjord, Greenland
An iceberg in Nuuk fjord, Greenland. SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY

"I think what we're building at United is an airline that is aspirational and inspirational, and I think Greenland fits that designation," Quayle told me as we spoke, in June, from downtown Nuuk.

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Prior to June, travelers hoping to fly between the U.S. and Greenland had to first connect in Iceland or Europe.

United's new nonstop Nuuk route, operated by a narrow-body Boeing 737 MAX 8 in 2025, was made possible by Greenland's sizable investments in upgrading its airport infrastructure.

In fact, Nuuk had cut the ribbon on an all-new terminal and runway just months prior to United's arrival.

Greenland was one of several high-profile, off-the-beaten-path routes United launched in 2025. Others include Dakar, Senegal; Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Bilbao, Spain; and Palermo, on the island of Sicily.

The carrier has not announced 2026 decisions on any of those routes, a spokesperson confirmed Monday.

As for 2025, United's Nuuk service will wind down for the season on Sept. 23, with the last EWR-GOH service. The final southbound flight to the U.S. will run on Sept. 24.

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Featured image by SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY
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