Narsarsuaq (lit. Great Plain; old spelling: Narssarssuaq) is a settlement in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. The settlement's economy and population of 123 inhabitants was almost entirely reliant on Narsarsuaq Airport, an old U.S. military base (Bluie West One). There is a tourism industry in and around Narsarsuaq, whose attractions include a great diversity of wildlife, gemstones and tours to glaciers. The closure of the airport in 2026 will mean that only 30 inhabitants will remain in the town.
History
thumb|200px|left|Narsarsuaq valley (Flower valley), seen from Mellemlandet
Narsarsuaq is located within the Eastern Settlement of the Greenlandic Norse; the Brattahlíð farm of Erik the Red established in 985 was located on the opposite bank of Tunulliarfik Fjord, where the modern settlement of Qassiarsuk is situated. The hospital was destroyed by a fire in 1972, although the ruins remain.
Post-war
The town and its airport remained an important part of Greenlandic aviation in the latter part of the 20th century, as one of two airports which were able to handle larger fixed-wing aircraft, the other being Kangerlussuaq Airport, also an old U.S. military base. It was the principal airfield in South Greenland, and served as a transfer point between fixed-wing flights and helicopters. A tourism industry developed as a result of the airport and most economic activities in the town are related to tourism or servicing the airport. Icelandair, SAS and later Air Greenland served the airport with international services to Keflavík, Iceland and Copenhagen since the 1950s, mostly during the summer.
The airport is also an important refuelling point for small planes crossing the Atlantic, which sometimes replicate the North Atlantic Ferry Route, stopping at Narsarsuaq Airport and other World War II airfields, including Goose Bay, Newfoundland in Canada and Reykjavík in Iceland.
Closure of airport
After decades of discussion, in 2018 a decision was made to construct an airport nearer to Qaqortoq, the largest town in South Greenland. The new airport eliminates the need for Narsarsuaq Airport as a domestic and Iceland-bound gateway to South Greenland. Qaqortoq Airport is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in 2026.
In 2022, the Greenlandic government decided that Narsarsuaq will be downscaled to a heliport.
Air Greenland's seasonal route to Copenhagen ceased on 16 September 2025. Similarly, the last Icelandair flight to Reykjavík-Keflavík departed on 30 September 2025, as the summer season ended and will move its seasonal route to Qaqortoq Airport beginning in June 2026.
In October 2025, Greenland Airport announced layoffs at Narsarsuaq Airport, involving around 70 people, as it begins to transition into a heliport. The Hotel Narsarsuaq ceased operating and the Narsarsuaq Museum also closed in conjunction with the airport closure. The closure of the airport in 2026 will mean that only 30 inhabitants will remain in the town.
Scheduled fixed-wing services were transferred to the newly-built Qaqortoq Airport on 16 April 2026 and Narsarsuaq Airport was subsequently downgraded to a heliport.
In mid-March 2026, Narsaruq was mentioned by General Guillot of United States Northern Command as one of three sites the Trump Administration intended to establish military bases
Transport
Narsarsuaq Heliport is connected to Qaqortoq Airport by helicopter service. Narsarsuaq Airport previously served as the principal airfield in southwestern Greenland until flights were transferred to the newly-built Qaqortoq Airport in 2026.
Narsarsuaq has a sea port where passenger boats and cruise ships can moor. It is located south of the heliport terminal building.
A gravel road is maintained between Qassiarsuk and Narsarsuaq around the fjord. It has two river crossings without bridges but off-road vehicles ford them, although a direct boat across the fjord is also used. There is also a regular boat service to Qaqortoq, , which takes almost 4 hours.
Population
The population of the settlement is strictly tied to the traffic dynamics at the local airport.
Greenlandic Arboretum
thumb|200px|left|Arboretum Groenlandicum
thumb|100px|right|Trees of Greenland
On the lower slopes of the Mellemlandet ridge, close to Narsarsuaq Airport, there is a unique 'botanical garden of the Arctic', called the Greenlandic Arboretum. The goal is to establish a live collection of trees and bushes native to both the arctic and the alpine tree-lines of the entire Northern Hemisphere.
Founded in 1988, it encompasses 15 hectares and it shelters 110 plant species, mostly varieties of boreal taiga trees, such as Siberian larch, lodgepole pine, white spruce, Sitka spruce, and various bushes. There have also been plantings of a few species, including sycamore maple and American chestnut, from middle latitudes south of the boreal zone. Many individual trees are tagged or otherwise marked. The plantation currently has more than 50,000 trees of various provenances.