United Airlines will return to Greenland for a second summer in 2026
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.
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
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.
"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.
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.
Related reading:
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- United Premier status: What it is and how to earn it
- Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
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