詹姆斯·布鲁克斯 伊卢利萨特，格陵兰岛 —— 格陵兰岛开通了一座新的国际机场，旨在吸引来自世界各地的游客，因为这个北极岛屿正着眼于最终从丹麦独立。
JAMES BROOKS ILULISSAT, Greenland — Greenland has opened a new international airport, seeking to lure visitors from around the world as the Arctic island looks toward eventual independence from Denmark.
周四，丹麦哥本哈根与格陵兰岛伊卢利萨特之间的首个国际航班起飞，这是岛屿政府为发展旅游业、推动并多元化一个仍严重依赖渔业的经济所做努力的一部分。
Thursday’s inaugural international flight between Copenhagen, Denmark, and Ilulissat, Greenland, was part of the island government’s efforts to grow its tourism industry to boost and diversify an economy still reliant on fishing.
格陵兰总理延斯-弗雷德里克·尼尔森将这座新机场称为该岛历史上“最大的投资之一”。尼尔森是周四这趟由政府所有的格陵兰航空运营、使用空客A330neo客机执飞、耗时4.5小时的航班上169名乘客之一。一名美联社记者也搭乘了该航班，作为由旅游局Visit Greenland组织的行程的一部分，以撰写此报道。
Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen described the new airport as “one of the biggest investments” in the island’s history. Nielsen was one of 169 passengers on Thursday’s 4.5-hour flight on an Airbus A330neo. An Associated Press journalist also took the flight, operated by government-owned Air Greenland, as part of a trip organized by tourism agency Visit Greenland, for this story.
“如果格陵兰想要独立，我们需要拥有坚实的基础，无论是在经济上还是在产业和商业方面，”尼尔森在飞机起飞前告诉美联社。
“If Greenland wants to be independent, we need to have a strong foundation, both economically and in terms of industry and business,” Nielsen told the AP before the plane departed.
这个战略要地、人口约5.6万的岛屿，自美国总统唐纳德·特朗普首个任期起就成为其关注焦点，当时他首次表达了收购格陵兰岛的意愿。他在第二个任期内反复威胁要从北约盟友丹麦手中夺取该领土，引发了与其他北约盟友长达数月的紧张关系。9月，特朗普与丹麦和格陵兰领导人签署了一项协议，以加强北极和北大西洋的安全。
The strategic island, home to roughly 56,000 people, has been a focus of U.S. President Donald Trump since his first term, when he initially expressed his desire to acquire Greenland . His repeated threats to seize the territory from Denmark, a NATO ally, during his second term prompted months of tensions with other NATO allies. In September, Trump signed an agreement with the leaders of Denmark and Greenland to strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic.
“这无疑笼罩了整个丹麦王国，但尤其是格陵兰岛，”随首航班机抵达的丹麦财政大臣彼得·胡梅尔高说。“我认为，这座新国际机场的启用标志着希望与乐观。”
“There’s no doubt that it has been a shadow over the entire Kingdom of Denmark, but especially Greenland,” said Danish Finance Minister Peter Hummelgaard, who also took the inaugural flight. “The opening of this new international airport marks, I think, hope and optimism.”Ilulissat, known as the “City of Icebergs,” sits along the island’s western coast and is home to some 5,000 people. Greenland’s third-largest city is also one of the island’s most-visited destinations. More than 550 kilometers (342 miles) north of the capital, Nuuk, its tourism offerings range from sled dog tours to icefjord cruises in picturesque Disko Bay, known for its towering icebergs.
伊卢利萨特被称为“冰山之城”，坐落在该岛西海线，人口约5000人。格陵兰岛第三大城市也是该岛最热门的旅游目的地之一。它位于首都努克以北550多公里（342英里）处，旅游项目从雪橇犬之旅到迪斯科湾的冰峡湾游船观光不等，该湾以巍峨的冰山闻名。
Previously, travelers reaching Ilulissat had to arrive by cruise ship, take a small plane from Iceland or fly to one of Greenland’s international hubs and connect to smaller aircraft. There are no road connections from other big towns.
此前，前往伊卢利萨特的游客只能乘坐游轮抵达，或从冰岛搭乘小型飞机，又或飞抵格陵兰岛的国际枢纽机场后换乘小型飞机。其他大城镇之间没有公路相连。
For decades, Greenland’s main international aviation gateways were former U.S. military air bases, distant echoes of World War II, in Kangerlussuaq and Narsarsuaq. Locals and international visitors had to land there before catching smaller aircraft to the island’s major towns, including Ilulissat and Nuuk. That changed in late 2024, when an international airport opened in Nuuk.
几十年来，格陵兰岛的主要国际航空门户是二战遗留的前美军空军基地——坎格鲁苏阿克和纳尔萨尔苏克。当地居民和国际游客必须先降落在那里，再换乘小型飞机前往伊卢利萨特和努克等岛上主要城镇。这种局面在2024年底得到改变，当时努克启用了一座国际机场。
United Airlines last year began a new seasonal route between Nuuk and Newark, New Jersey. The inaugural flight was the first direct from the U.S. to Greenland by an American airline.
美联航去年新开了一条努克至新泽西州纽瓦克的季节性航线。首航班机是美国航空公司执飞的首个从美国直飞格陵兰岛的航班。
The Ilulissat airport, meanwhile, has a 5,000-square-meter (53,820 square feet) terminal and a new 2,200-meter (1.37-mile) runway, long enough to accommodate larger passenger aircraft. Air Greenland has committed to as many as six weekly flights between Copenhagen and Ilulissat during next year’s peak summer months, and Icelandair will also fly large jets from its Keflavik hub. Jens R. Lauridsen, CEO of Greenland Airports, said the company is also hoping to lure airlines in the U.S. and mainland Europe to serve Ilulissat.
与此同时，伊卢利萨特机场拥有一座5000平方米（53820平方英尺）的航站楼和一条长2200米（1.37英里）的新跑道，足以起降大型客机。格陵兰航空已承诺，在明年夏季旺季每周最多执飞6班哥本哈根至伊卢利萨特的航班，冰岛航空也将从其凯夫拉维克枢纽派遣大型喷气式客机执飞。格陵兰机场公司首席执行延斯·R·劳里德森表示，公司还希望吸引美国和欧洲大陆的航空公司开通飞往伊卢利萨特的航线。
“It’s quite wonderful that you can go directly right now,” said Kirsten Berthelsen, a 35-year-old Ilulissat resident and student who booked a ticket for Thursday’s flight without realizing it was the inaugural service. “Sometimes it’s quite difficult to travel from Nuuk and to other countries.”While the number of international visitors to Greenland has grown by at least 65% since 2018, reaching almost 150,000 in 2024, the expected travel boom has yet to materialize. In 2024, tourism accounted for less than 5% of the territory’s GDP. Infrastructure, including hotel capacity, remains limited.
“现在能直接飞过去，真是太棒了，”35岁的伊卢利萨特居民、学生克尔斯滕·贝特尔森说，她订了周四航班的机票，当时并不知道这是首航。“有时从努克出发或前往其他国家旅行相当困难。”虽然自2018年以来，格陵兰的国际游客数量至少增长了65%，2024年达到近15万，但预期中的旅游热潮尚未出现。2024年，旅游业占该领土GDP的比重不足5%。包括酒店容量在内的基础设施依然有限。
Aalborg University associate professor Carina Ren, who specializes in Arctic tourism, said some U.S. tourists were even deterred from visiting the island because of the recent Trump standoff, with a few canceling their flights.
奥尔堡大学副教授卡琳娜·伦专攻北极旅游研究，她说，一些美国游客甚至因近期特朗普的对峙而打消了前往该岛的念头，有几人还取消了机票。
“I’ve heard of people canceling their bookings, but also others canceling because they were afraid that perhaps they would not be welcomed,” she said, adding that many Americans still visit, particularly on cruise ships.
“听说有人取消预订，也有人因为担心或许不会受欢迎而取消，”她说，并补充道，许多美国人仍在前往，尤其是乘坐游轮的游客。
Even so, there are some local concerns about mass tourism and potential damage to Greenland’s fragile nature.
即便如此，当地仍有人担忧大众旅游会破坏格陵兰脆弱的自然环境。
Palle Jerimiassen, a former regional mayor, said he fears the city’s environment, population and infrastructure may be overwhelmed by too many visitors.
前地区市长帕莱·耶里米亚森表示，他担心城市的环境、人口和基础设施可能会被过多的游客压垮。
“How many can we invite?” he said. “We are welcoming all the tourists, it’s a possibility to earn some new money.”
“我们能接待多少人？”他说。“我们欢迎所有游客，这是赚取新收入的机会。”他补充道：“但我们必须谨慎。”
He added: “But we have to be careful.”