Greenland completes biggest infrastructure project with Ilulissat airport

Greenland has completed the largest infrastructure project in its history with the opening of Ilulissat Airport, DR reports.

The airport welcomed its first transatlantic flight directly from Copenhagen on Thursday, marking the project’s third stage. Nuuk Airport and Qaqortoq Airport opened earlier.

Greenlandic government chairman Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Danish Finance Minister Peter Hummelgaard were among those on board. Nielsen also acted as a flight attendant during the journey, according to an Instagram story shared by Hummelgaard.

The opening was marked with songs and speeches in the terminal. Hummelgaard said the airport would bring the Danish Realm closer together. “Over recent years, Greenland and Denmark have grown closer,” he said, according to Greenlandic outlet Sermitsiaq.

Nielsen called the opening a “historic day” and a “milestone” for northern Greenland. “We must continue to pursue greater connectivity across the whole country. This is a big step, but we must keep working to connect the country more, because that will create growth in the long term,” he said, according to KNR.

The celebrations ended with a gala dinner in Ilulissat.