Greenland Travel: Flight from Copenhagen to Nuuk, Delays & Arrival at Night

Finally Heading to Greenland… Or So I Thought
My First-Ever U-Turn After Takeoff
An Alternative Flight Was Arranged
Finally, Off to Nuuk Again
A Five-Hour Flight and an In-Flight Meal
It Was Still Bright at 10 p.m.!
Arriving at Nuuk Airport
Walking from the Airport to the City Center
Children Playing Outside at 10 p.m.
A World Without a Single Tree
Arriving at Vandrehuset 4

Finally Heading to Greenland… Or So I Thought

It was finally time to board the Greenland Air GL775 flight, departing at 4:45 p.m. for Nuuk.

As mentioned in my previous article, there was no passport control inside the airport, but airline staff checked our passports at the boarding gate.

And they checked them quite carefully—which is to say, quite strictly.

In my case, I was asked:

“Why don’t you have a visa for Greenland?”

I explained that I had a residence permit for the EU, and after checking it, they allowed me to board.

If you live in Europe, I recommend keeping your residence permit somewhere easily accessible so you can show it quickly if necessary.

☆ Here are links to my other articles about my trip to Nuuk!

Part 1 (Departure–CPH), Part 2 (Arrival in Nuuk), Part 3 (Exploring Nuuk), Part 4 (Returning from Nuuk)

（当ブログの記事をまとめたポータルページはここです）

（オンラインショップを始めてみました。是非こちらからご覧になってください。）

Amazon.co.jp
あなたと一緒に作る海外旅行【トラベル・スタンダード・ジャパン】

My First-Ever U-Turn After Takeoff

I boarded the plane, and it was finally time for takeoff.

However, something already felt a little strange.

The plane seemed to be taking longer than usual to accelerate.

“Is this plane really going to take off…?”

While I was wondering about that, we somehow managed to get airborne.

“Well, we took off, so I guess everything is fine.”

But that sense of relief didn’t last long.

About five minutes after takeoff, an announcement came over the speakers.

“A technical issue has been detected with the aircraft, so we will be returning to Copenhagen.”

We were also told:

“There is a possibility that we will not arrive in Nuuk until tomorrow morning.”

At first, I couldn’t hear the announcement clearly.

A baby nearby was crying loudly, so I could only hear parts of the announcement.

Then the man sitting next to me asked:

“What did they just announce?”

I replied:

“I think they said we’re going back…”

He responded:

“Really? That’s what I heard too. Seriously?”

We looked at each other in disbelief.

Right after that, the plane made a large turn and actually headed back toward Copenhagen Airport.

Turning back because of an aircraft problem shortly after takeoff.

It was a first for me.

An Alternative Flight Was Arranged

After landing back in Copenhagen, we remained on the plane for about 30 minutes.

It seemed that the captain was discussing an alternative flight with the ground staff.

Then another announcement came over the speakers.

“We have arranged an alternative flight departing at 7:00 p.m. today. Please disembark and board again.”

That was the announcement.

I was surprised by how smoothly everything was handled.

Later, I heard from people in Greenland that delays and cancellations caused by technical problems or bad weather are relatively common on flights to Greenland.

Of course, it doesn’t happen every time, but if you’re used to flying on domestic routes in Japan, you might be surprised.

For that reason, when traveling around Greenland, I recommend not packing your itinerary too tightly on travel days.

Delays of several hours can certainly happen, and in some cases, you may end up taking a flight the following day.

Finally, Off to Nuuk Again

7:00 p.m.

This time, we were finally heading to Nuuk.

The replacement flight was operated by Jettime, an airline headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark.

It seems to be another airline frequently used for routes in the Nordic region.

The service was perfectly fine, and the flight was comfortable.

A Five-Hour Flight and an In-Flight Meal

The flight from Copenhagen to Nuuk takes about five hours.

Since Greenland is located closer to North America, it is farther from Europe than you might expect.

An in-flight meal was also served on this flight.

The menu consisted of:

Chicken sauté
Potatoes
Warm bread
Chocolate brownie

That was the meal.

There was also a chocolate brownie at the bottom

Everything was delicious, and I especially enjoyed the warm bread.

“I wish that Seven-Eleven sandwich earlier had been warm too…”

That’s what I was thinking while eating it (lol).

It Was Still Bright at 10 p.m.!

We were originally scheduled to arrive at 6:45 p.m., but because of the replacement flight, we didn’t reach Nuuk until around 10 p.m.

It had become quite late.

But when I looked outside through the airplane window…

It was still bright.

“Wait, it’s 10 p.m.!”

Because Greenland is located close to the Arctic Circle, the days become extremely long during summer.

As a result, even after 10 p.m., there is still enough daylight to make it feel like early evening.

I should have been exhausted after all the delays, but the moment I saw this scenery, my excitement came right back.

Arriving at Nuuk Airport

The new Nuuk Airport is compact but very clean and modern.

The waiting area is on the first floor, and there are six boarding gates in total.

That said, there aren’t enough flights to keep all of them in use at all times, giving the airport the calm atmosphere you would expect from a regional airport.

There is also a souvenir shop and a small food area in the waiting area.

Souvenirs in the Nuuk Airport departure hall

The baggage screening area is on the second floor, while the departure and arrival hall is on the first floor. If you go up to the third floor from the baggage screening area, there is another waiting area there as well.

Not many people know this, but there is also a waiting area on the third floor.

There are far fewer people there, so it is very quiet.

If you’re waiting for a flight, I recommend the third floor if you’d like to relax in a quieter environment.

Walking from the Airport to the City Center

Normally, you would take a bus from here to the city center.

However, since I had originally planned to do some hiking as well, I decided to walk to my accommodation.

The road in front of the airport. Since the airport is located on higher ground, the road descends from here. The sea is right in front of you.

The distance from the airport to the city center is about 6 km.

Walking along the main road, Eqalugalinnguanut, takes a little over an hour.

There are buses as well, but because they travel around various parts of the city, they can take longer than you might expect.

There is also a slightly shorter route that goes through the Sarfaannguit Tunnel and connects to Qeqertanut Street.

I never actually used it, but this is what one of the bus stops looks like.

Children Playing Outside at 10 p.m.

Normally, I would avoid walking for more than an hour in an unfamiliar place at 10 p.m.

But this was Nuuk.

Even at 10 p.m., the sky was still bright, and children were casually playing outside.

“Is it really nighttime?”

The atmosphere was so peaceful that it almost didn’t feel like night at all.

Thanks to that, I was able to start walking without feeling particularly uneasy.

A World Without a Single Tree

The first thing that surprised me while walking was that there were almost no tall trees.

Trees have difficulty growing in Greenland, so the landscape is dominated by exposed rock.

I took this photo at around 11 p.m. It was still very bright. Meltwater had formed a small stream between the rocks.

Because there are so few trees, visibility is excellent. From the airport, which sits on higher ground, I could see the Nuuk city center I was heading toward the entire time.

“It’s still pretty far…”

“Just a little farther.”

Being able to see my destination and check my progress along the way somehow made the walk feel less tiring.

There were also small streams of snowmelt along the way, creating scenery that felt truly Arctic.

It was such a unique landscape that you rarely see in Europe, and simply walking through it was an enjoyable experience in itself.