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A sudden suspension of international departures at Greenland’s Nuuk Airport (GOH) has disrupted air travel and forced United Airlines flight UA80 to turn back to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) mid-flight. The Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority announced that beginning August 27th, Nuuk Airport (GOH) would no longer be permitted to handle international flights “until further notice.” The restriction stems from concerns that airport security staff had not met required international screening training standards.
United Airlines is the only US carrier with nonstop service to Greenland. It launched this route in June 2025 as part of its largest-ever international expansion. The 2x service seems to have become popular among adventurous travelers as United announced this week that its coming back in 2026.
But yesterday, the flight departed Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) at 11:40 AM on a Boeing 737 MAX. Roughly two hours into the flight, pilots reversed course while flying over Canada and went back to United’s NJ hub. Nuuk Airport could have accepted the inbound aircraft, but the return flight would not have been allowed to depart internationally. This raised the risk of stranding both passengers and crew, which was something United was not willing to take.
Digging deeper into the issue here, authorities explained that while Nuuk Airport (GOH) remains fully certified for domestic Greenland flights, international operations require higher screening standards. Danish regulators determined that staff training had not met those requirements and this forced the suspension until compliance is met. Greenland Airports is now working closely with regulators to resolve the issues, but a timeline for when international flights can resume has not yet been shared.
United Airlines shows its next available flight between Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Nuuk Airport (GOH) scheduled for September 2nd. We’ll have to wait and see if this flies or is grounded due to these issues. United’s route to Nuuk marked a milestone in Greenland’s aviation story. It was only made possible after the airport opened a new international terminal in November 2024 that was designed to accommodate growing tourism and long-haul flights.
Anthony’s Take: I’m hoping to check out Greenland and love that United will fly there again next summer. It seems like the current issues are fixable and hopefully United will be able to serve the rest of this summer’s flights to Greenland.
(Image Credits: United Airlines and FlightAware.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
