By Wednesday afternoon, authorities indicated that operations would soon return to normal. Greenland Airports announced that international departures would resume Thursday with additional security staff from Danish airports. United told The Points Guy that it expects its scheduled Saturday service from Newark to Nuuk to proceed as planned.
Despite this, United has kept a travel waiver in place for its Greenland flights. Customers can reschedule their trips or rebook through Keflavik Airport (KEF) in Iceland if needed. Passengers who choose not to rebook are eligible for refunds under U.S. Department of Transportation rules regarding flight cancellations: https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/refunds
United operates two round trips per week between Newark and Nuuk. If Saturday's departure goes ahead as expected, only one full round trip will have been canceled due to this week's events.
Travelers seeking alternate routes back to the U.S. may need to connect via Iceland or Europe because there is no other regular air service between North America and Greenland.
When United launched its route in June 2025, it became the first airline since Air Greenland’s brief attempt in the late 2000s to offer regularly scheduled flights between the U.S. and Greenland. The new terminal and runway at Nuuk opened last November, enabling more international traffic.
Greenland tourism officials described this summer’s increase in visitors as a "learning process" given local infrastructure constraints. "Of course, there's things we have to learn. But I think it's been promising," Tanny Por, head of international relations at Visit Greenland, told The Points Guy. "It's the first time we've had any airline come from outside Copenhagen or Iceland, ever, so it's really a big milestone and a big historical moment."
The disruption comes shortly after United announced plans for nonstop service between Newark and Nuuk again next summer season in 2026; current schedules run through late September 2025.
Alerts Sign-up
