There are several time zones in Greenland, but for most visitors, the time zone that includes the towns on the west coast and Tasiilaq/Kulusuk in East Greenland will apply.
Inatsisartut, the parliament of Greenland, has passed a law on new time regulations in Greenland. When Denmark and most of Europe switch to winter time/normal time on the night of Sunday, October 28, 2023, Greenland will remain on the equivalent of daylight saving time.
This means that the time difference between West Greenland and Denmark/Central Europe will be three hours, not four as we are used to.
Therefore, in Greenland, you will not have to set your watch back one hour when daylight saving time ends in 2023.
From October 28, 2023, the new time zone will mean that there will be a three-hour difference between the east coast of North America (ET) and Greenland and between Europe (CET) and Greenland.
Until now, we have been used to four hours between Greenland and Central Europe (CET) and two hours between Greenland and the North American East Coast.
How will this affect you travel-wise after October 28, 2023?
If you are in Greenland, your flights will depart one hour later than originally scheduled if you have purchased a ticket before this date. You should receive a text message about this from your airline.
Please note that flight times from Denmark and domestic flights to and from Nerlerit Inaat/Constable Pynt, Ittoqqortoormiit, and Pituffik Space Base/Thule will not be affected by the change, as they remain in the same time zones as before.
Flight time between Denmark and Greenland
The flight time between Copenhagen in Denmark and Kangerlussuaq in Greenland is about 4 hours and 40 minutes. Since the time difference between Denmark and Greenland is four hours, this means that you land in Greenland at roughly the same time of the day as you took off from Copenhagen. Very often, you fly from Copenhagen at 9:00 AM and then land in Kangerlussuaq in Greenland at 10:40 AM.
On the return journey, it goes the other way, of course. Typically, you will fly from Greenland around noon, but not land in Copenhagen until in the evening around 8:00 PM. On some evening flights to Denmark, you will land early in the morning on the next day due to the time difference.
If you arrive to Greenland on a flight from Europe, you can expect to be a little tired early on your first day in Greenland due to jet lag. If necessary, go to bed early on your first night if you feel tired. Then you will be fresh and rested the next day.
However, a lot of people are not affected by the time difference.
