Storm Halts All Flights To And From Nuuk Today

Published on Nov 13, 2025, 12:29 pm CST

8 min read

Key points

Air Greenland has canceled all departures to and from Nuuk Airport on November 13, 2025 due to strong Davis Strait winds
The airline is rebooking passengers, promising new itineraries by 4 p.m. local time and hotel support for eligible travelers from Copenhagen
Weather related cancellations fall under extraordinary circumstances, so compensation is unlikely although care, meals, and refunds may still apply
Greenland carries a Level 2 U.S. advisory for harsh weather and limited emergency services, underscoring the need for extra buffers
Travelers connecting through Copenhagen and other hubs should build at least one extra day around Greenland flights and cruise departures

Impact

Nuuk Flights: Assume all Air Greenland itineraries touching Nuuk Airport on November 13, 2025 will be canceled or heavily retimed and watch for rebooking messages
Copenhagen Connections: If you connect through Copenhagen, shift onward flights by at least one day or add long layovers once Nuuk schedules reopen
Cruise And Expedition Departures: Arrive several days early in Greenland or Denmark to protect cruise or expedition departures from Nuuk and other ports
Rebooking And Refunds: Use Air Greenland channels or your travel advisor for new itineraries, hotel vouchers from Copenhagen Terminal 2, and refunds if the trip purpose is lost
Future Greenland Planning: For future seasons, choose flexible tickets, travel insurance with delay coverage, and overnight buffers at hubs like Copenhagen and Reykjavik

A heavy storm in the Davis Strait is battering Greenland's west coast on November 13, 2025, with strong winds spilling into Nuuk and nearby towns. In response, Air Greenland has canceled every departure to and from Nuuk Airport (GOH) for the day, disrupting domestic connections across Greenland and long haul links that rely on Nuuk as the new main hub. Travelers heading to Greenland, leaving Greenland, or using Nuuk as a connection point need to plan for at least one extra day of flexibility and expect their original itineraries not to operate as booked.

Nuuk Airport Operations And Affected Routes

Air Greenland's traffic deviations page states that Danish Meteorological Institute forecasts of strong winds over the Davis Strait on Thursday will affect Nuuk and several coastal communities, forcing the airline to cancel all departures to and from Nuuk on November 13, 2025. The carrier says it is working to rebook passengers and that travelers can expect new itineraries by 4:00 p.m. Greenlandic time.

While the airline does not publish a flight by flight list for the day, canceling all movements effectively suspends Nuuk's role as a hub. Direct routes between Nuuk and Copenhagen, Billund, and Keflavík, along with domestic links to Kangerlussuaq, Ilulissat, Aasiaat, Sisimiut, Maniitsoq, and Narsarsuaq, all depend on traffic flowing through Nuuk under the new network structure. With no arrivals or departures, passengers are either stuck in Greenlandic towns waiting for feeder flights to restart or held at European gateways, especially Copenhagen, Denmark, until the storm passes and Air Greenland can rebuild its schedule.

Today's disruption comes after a year in which Nuuk's new international airport has already experienced multiple high profile interruptions. In late August, international screening issues temporarily shut down overseas operations and forced a United Airlines flight from Newark to turn back mid route, while Air Greenland's Airbus A330 between Copenhagen and Nuuk has previously had to return to Denmark because of severe winds. The pattern reinforces something Greenlandic authorities have acknowledged for years: operations at a coastal airport like Nuuk are more vulnerable to weather and other stressors than the old inland hub at Kangerlussuaq.

Rebooking, Care, And Passenger Rights

Air Greenland is treating the cancellations as a weather driven event. On its disruption page, the airline tells customers that it will automatically rebook affected passengers and send updated itineraries by text message or email, and encourages travelers to keep their contact details current in the "My Booking" section. If the new plan does not work, passengers can use an online form or contact customer service to request alternative routing or a refund. The airline also says that if the purpose of the trip has been lost, travelers have a right to a refund.

For travelers originating in Copenhagen, Air Greenland is arranging overnight accommodation today. The airline instructs affected passengers who need a hotel to report to Copenhagen Airport's Terminal 2 between 800 a.m. and 1100 a.m. on November 13, when rooms will be allocated. In cases of long delays, the airline notes that it can provide meal vouchers and hotel stays, particularly in Arctic locations where disruptions often extend beyond a single day.

From a legal perspective, this storm likely falls under the "extraordinary circumstances" exception that European Union passenger rights regulations, known as EU261, carve out for severe weather. That means travelers on flights between Copenhagen and Nuuk should not expect cash compensation, even though flights depart a European Union airport. However, the duty of care, including meals, accommodation, and eventual rerouting, still applies, and Air Greenland's own guidance mirrors those responsibilities while stressing that it is not financially responsible for weather itself.

Travelers booked through travel agencies or cruise lines should coordinate rebooking through those intermediaries, since Air Greenland's terms state that tickets bought from third parties must be handled by the original seller. Independent travelers who booked directly can manage changes through Air Greenland's website, app, or call centers, and should keep detailed receipts if they pay out of pocket for meals or accommodation that might later be reimbursable.

How This Fits Greenland's Weather Risk Profile

The United States already classifies Greenland as a Level 2 destination, advising travelers to exercise increased caution because of environmental hazards from extreme weather and limited emergency services. The advisory highlights that the combination of harsh conditions, long distances between communities, and scarce rescue resources can leave travelers waiting days for assistance in remote areas.

For aviation, those same factors translate into persistent schedule risk. Before Nuuk's expansion, the long inland runway at Kangerlussuaq benefited from relatively favorable weather compared with coastal airfields. A transport commission study cited in local coverage during the airport debate estimated that weather might prevent landings at Kangerlussuaq for two to three days per year, but could block conditions at Nuuk for two to three weeks annually, a projection that has proved uncomfortably prescient as the new hub weathers its first full year.

Maritime and cruise travelers face similar volatility. Canada's official advisory notes that unpredictable Greenland weather often disrupts cruise itineraries, causes rough seas, and can force cancellations or substantial delays, sometimes without much notice, with rescue operations limited or impossible during heavy weather. Today's storm will not only affect flights, it may also slow port calls and shore logistics around Nuuk and other west coast communities if seas become unsafe.

The growth in international connectivity into Nuuk has raised the stakes. Seasonal United Airlines flights from Newark and new or expanded links by Scandinavian Airlines and Icelandair have opened many more doors for visitors, but they also concentrate risk onto one airport that sits on an exposed fjord. United's inaugural season wrapped up in September, so there is no Newark-Nuuk flight to cancel today, yet storms like this are a clear warning for passengers planning to use the route in 2026 and beyond.

Planning Connections Through Copenhagen And Other Hubs

Because weather cancellations are not rare in Greenland, the single most important strategy for travelers is time. Instead of booking tight same day connections, especially on separate tickets, travelers should routinely add substantial buffers around Greenland segments.

For itineraries that route through Copenhagen, it is prudent to treat Greenland flights as the anchor rather than a quick add on. Travelers should consider arriving in Copenhagen at least one calendar day before their outbound to Nuuk, and when leaving Greenland, plan either an overnight in Denmark or a very long same day layover so that a delayed morning arrival does not cascade into a missed transatlantic departure. The same logic applies to itineraries connecting through Keflavík in Iceland or through Billund, which Air Greenland uses in part to connect with Icelandair's North American network.

Cruise and expedition passengers, who often work with fixed sailing times and expensive once in a lifetime experiences, should be even more conservative. Given the combination of the U.S. Level 2 advisory, the history of multi day disruptions, and the new hub's exposure to storms, a best practice is to arrive at least two days early in the departure region, whether that is Greenland itself or Denmark, and to confirm with cruise operators what their contingency plans are for delayed arrivals.

Travel insurance with strong trip interruption and delay coverage is no longer optional for most Greenland itineraries. Policies that cover additional hotels, rebooking costs, and missed tour segments can buffer the financial impact of exactly the sort of system wide cancellation that is unfolding around Nuuk today. Travelers booking premium or business class tickets should also factor in the relative flexibility of their fare class, since more flexible tickets generally make it easier to shift long haul legs when Greenland segments slip.

Final Thoughts

Today's blanket cancellations at Nuuk Airport show how quickly a Davis Strait storm can erase an entire day of flying across Greenland's new hub. Air Greenland is honoring its duty to rebook and care for passengers, but the event underscores the structural weather risk that already sits behind the U.S. Level 2 advisory and earlier warnings about Nuuk's exposure.

For travelers, the lesson is not to avoid Greenland, but to respect its operational realities. Build overnight buffers at hubs like Copenhagen and Keflavík, favor flexible tickets and solid insurance, and protect cruise or expedition departures by arriving early rather than trusting same day connections. As Nuuk flight cancellations become a recurring feature of Arctic travel, those who plan with generous margins will be far better positioned to absorb the next storm.